You really got a hold on me
by Cuticlecare
Summary: Beca, editor for Decibel, was done with men. She just wants hook-ups, easy sex; none of those messy relationship things. Who would have thought a cup of coffee, more likely two, splashed on her by an idiot would change that? PP characters working in a magazine. Some mention of Ugly Betty and Devil wears Prada.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was one of those mornings.

"Chloe! I don't think I could go all the way there. It's right across town!"

It came out a little louder than she meant. A few people in the coffee queue turned to stare at the tiny brunette who was surrounded by bags and a pet carrier. A cat inside that pet carrier was mewling piteously. Beca Mitchell squashed her phone in between her ear and shoulder, pulled her bag higher up her shoulder and stared back unapologetic.

Chloe was still squawking at the end of the line and Beca Mitchell rubbed her temples. She loved her best friend and room mate but right at this moment, she felt like strangling her. "I know. I know I promised but Snowball's vet appointment ran late," Beca said, in a slightly lower tone. "And this was before I got that Mick Jagger interview. Chloe, it's Mick Jagger!"

The queue shuffled forward and Beca edged the pet carrier forward slowly with her foot. Snowball was not amused.

"Ok! Ok! I'll work something out. You owe me, Red!" Beca whispered-yelled, admitting defeat. She crossly cut the call but she could not help smiling at the squeal of happiness at the end of the line. Beca tossed the phone into her enormous bag and walked up to the counter.

"The usual, Adam," she said to the barista. "No. Make it a large one with an extra shot. Something tells me I am going to need it."

"One of those mornings, huh?" Adam said, sympathetically.

Beca sighed and nodded, handing over the money for the frappe and adding a dollar note into the tip jar. She shuffled down to the waiting area, wondering how did the morning turned out so badly. She had everything planned to a T. Then vet had to run late, then she remembered she promised Chloe she would run an errand and of course, right at that moment, Mick's people called to say could she come earlier because Mr. Jagger was free and if she could not come now, it would be too bad since he would only be available sometime next year.

Now she was trying to juggle her appointments at opposite ends of town, laden with bags and having to sneak into work with a cat. Somehow when she was dreaming about her ideal job as a music journalist, this was not how she pictured it.

Beca glanced at her watch and cursed under her breath. She was running more than a little late now. Beca grabbed the frappe as son as it was placed in front of her and rushed towards the door. She was just about to push the door open when her phone rang shrilly. Beca shifted the pet carrier, her bags and coffee to one hand whilst the other rooted round her enormous bag for her phone.

It was her editor.

"Noah."

"Where are you, Beca?"

"Umm..just on my way. Cat emergency."

"Get your ass over to West 57th immediately. We've got to rush a story."

"But I got an interview with Mick Ja..."

"This is more important! Bieber's sporting a new platinum look and I want you there now."

"What? You are not serious?" Beca nearly yelled out as she pushed through the door and propelled out of the shop. "You want me to drop Mick over...oh what the...Oh fuck!"

That stupid man walked straight into her.

Straight into her and her enormous cup of frappucino.

Which was now flying all over her front.

Snowball was yowling ferociously and Beca dropped her bags, quickly checking the cat was ok. He's ok. The cat was ok. He was probably upset at being jostled by that incredibly stupid man. The coffee cup was rolling drunkenly on the floor and Beca was still cursing as she futilely wiped at the sopping stain on her tshirt.

Great. Just great. Just exactly what she needed right now.

"I am so sorry! You came barreling out; I couldn't avoid you. Here, let me get you more tissues."

Beca was too pissed to answer. The stranger was back in a flash, offering more tissues. She grabbed them and started dabbing on the huge stain. Snowball did not like being unceremoniously dumped onto the floor and was letting his feelings known. Between his yowling and this stickiness that was sopping to her skin, Beca felt murderous.

"Can I get your another coffee?"

Is that man still there? What? Why the hell is he still there? He's done enough damage already.

"That's a nice t-shirt, by the way," he continued.

Beca stopped mopping up the stain, conscious that she was rubbing against the large stain on her chest. Her Sex Pistols tshirt was ruined anyway and he was probably watching her rubbing her breast. That pervert.

"Dude, seriously?"

She glared at the man. He was smiling down at her and then Beca noticed that almost half of that ill-fated frappucino had also slopped down his front and ruined his white shirt and suit. She was about to say something when she heard a tinny voice calling out her name.

"Oh shit!" Beca exclaimed, scrambling round to find her phone. "Noah? Noah! I'm still here."

"What the hell, Becs?" Noah's voice came through.

"Nothing. Just dropped my drink," Beca answered, starting to gather her things. Noah was talking a mile a minute now and Beca was trying to keep up.

"OK. Ok. Give me twenty," Beca answered. The man was helping to hand over the pet carrier as she pulled her bags up. She nodded her thanks briefly already turning away, ear stuck to her phone. "Fine! I'll be there in ten!" Beca said crossly before walking away. The man stood rooted at the spot for a while watching the tiny brunette walked away laden with bags and a pet carrier. Only Snowball turned around for a second, pressing his face against wire and gave a meow in goodbye.

* * *

**Harris &amp; Harris Building**

"Harris &amp; Harris, please hold. Harris &amp; Harris, please hold. Harris &amp; Harris, please hold."

Amy, actress and part time bad receptionist, jabbed the hold button on the last call, adjusted her headset and returned back to one of the blinking buttons.

"CR, you there? So. I told him like, no. No sex unless you shave that man bush. We are talking Amazon rainforest here." Amy paused, listening intently to CR speaking on the other line. The phone deck was blinking crazily but she calmly ignored it all, choosing to draw a nail file from her tall beehive blonde hair and began to file her nails.

"I know. A girl's gotta have standards. Hang on CR..." Amy said, pressing an incoming call. "Harris &amp; Harris, please hold." Without even taking a breath, Amy went back talking to CR. "Eh. The sex was ok. Can hardly find the goods with all that hair downstairs."

The door in front of the Reception desk slid opened and Amy looked up to see Beca Mitchell rushing in, disheveled and sweaty, huge ass coffee stain on her front, bags on one arm and a meowing cat in the other. She was frantically motioning at Amy.

"Hang on, it's the B-meister," Amy said to CR before grinning up at Beca. "Alright, chook, what's happening?"

"No time! Cover me! Noah's heading this way. Say you've seen me ages ago," Beca whisper-yelled before going over to the other side of the desk and crawling underneath. She was tiny enough to tuck herself into the space below. The pet carrier was a little large to pull in so Amy helped by jamming it to one the side. Snowball was not happy and both girls quickly shushed him.

Beca made it just in time.

Noah strode in, looking more harassed than usual. Amy pretended to be occupied writing a message on the notepad in front of her, nodding intently whilst listening to her headset. Noah waved his hands in front of her but Amy ignored him completely, speaking professionally into the headset. "Yes, I will make sure Julia gets the message. 100 bottles at 99. Anything else I could help you with? No? Thank you for calling Harris &amp; Harris."

She finally looked up.

"Yes?"

"Amy, have you seen Beca?"

"Umm no."

Noah cursed a little. "Are you sure? I needed her here like two hours ago."

"Haven't seen her," Amy said, shaking her head spacily. She then yelped a little and winced; probably from a pinch to her leg. "Wait. Umm. She was here...tennnn..(another wince) ty...twenty minutes ago. Said something about going down to Archives."

"Jesus! What is she doing down there?" Noah swore. He started pacing, clearly agitated. "That girl will be the death of me."

A meow went up from under the desk.

"What is that?" Noah. said, stopping in his tracks.

Amy looked up blankly at him. "What is what?"

"That meowing sound? "

"What meowing sound?"

Another meow went up. Beca was looking stricken underneath the desk, praying Snowball would not blow her cover.

"Is there a cat somewhere? I heard a cat."

"Oh. That.," Amy said smoothly. "Ummmm...I'm practising my sounds."

At Noah's blank look, Amy nonchalantly continued. "Got an audition for Cats next week. She cleared her throat loudly and began spitting out a series of yowls and meows. She stopped for a moment and looked at Noah pointedly. "See? Gotta feel the cat, wear the cat, be the cat. Harness my inner pussy."

"Okayyyyyy," Noah said. Amy was screeching louder now and he backed away slowly. "If you see Beca, tell her to find me immediately." He quickly left and once the coast was clear, Amy drew back her chair and Beca folded herself out. Beca's face was red from not laughing.

"Inner pussy?" Beca said, almost choking from not laughing.

"Another one you owe me, short stack," Amy grumbled. "And oww, your pinches hurt."

"Thanks, Amy." Beca said, hugging the blonde girl before straightening up. "I gotta go down and get some new rags. My tshirt's ruined."

"Ok. Say hi to Stacie."

"Can you keep an eye on Snowball?"

"Sure. We can practice our purr-cussion together," Amy said. Beca was not entirely sure what she meant but she knew better than to ask.

"We are still ok for after, Becs?"

"Sure. See you later, Ames."

Beca went clattering out of the door, weighed down with all her bags and caught the elevator going down just in time. Amy went back to her phone call with CR, ignoring the other blinking lights on the console.

"You still there? Yeah, Beca was hiding under the desk again. Mmmhmm. Yep. Nope. Yep. Left Snowball with me." Amy continued to file her nails. "I know. She needs a guy, not a cat. That last one, that fuckface, really messed her up. We need to find a nice guy. A proper one; not some hook up."

Amy stopped filing her nail, listening to CR and sighed. "All the guys I know like to get their freak on, CR. If you want someone who sucks your toes while reciting poetry, I know two."

The other elevator dinged loudly and a moment later, the glass doors slid open.

Amy was still talking on the phone. "I don't know where to find a nice, normal guy. Good guys just don't appear outta nowhere."

At that precise moment, Amy looked up.

"CR, code 408," Amy quickly murmured into the headset. "Umm...oh, about 200. Celsius, not Fahrenheit. Yeah, that hot. Okseeyoulaterbye!"

Amy cut the call as the newcomer approached the desk. She tilted her head to one side, staring.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to see Benjamin Applebaum?"

Hmm. Nice hair, nice eyes, nice smile. Shame about the suit.

"Ok." Amy dialled a number and when the call went through, she whispered, "Benj, honey. There's a yummy lookin' man at the desk asking for you. Are you not telling me things? Oh. 5'10. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Oh. I didn't ask."

Amy looked up at the amused brown eyes and said primly, "Whom shall I say is asking for him?"

"Swanson. Jesse Swanson."

Amy made a discreet note, followed by VLEP while talking softly to Benji, "It's Jesse Swanson. Where have you've been hiding him? He's not your thang? Opps sorry. Come and get him anyway. Before Marc gets here."

Amy cleared her throat and spoke up, "Mr. Applebaum will be up shortly." Her serious and professional demeanour was somewhat marred by a loud meow from under the desk. The man looked a little confused.

"Is that a cat?"

Amy didn't missed a beat. "That's need to know basis. I have to take a photo, please. For... errmm... security purposes."

The man chuckled a little before replying, "Ok. What do I have to do?"

"Just stand there. And look here." She pointed to a webcam. A quick click. "Thank you very much. Now if you take a seat..."

The man turned round to take a seat . Amy quirked an eyebrow.

There was another discreet click.

* * *

**The Closet**

"Here, try this one."

Stacie waved yet another small scrap of cloth at Beca who looked distinctively put out. She had stripped off her stained tshirt and now was in her bra and dark skinny jeans, trying to struggle into a hot pink top Stacie had given her earlier.

"I give up!" Beca huffed. "These things are made for girls without boobs."

She tossed the hot pink top back at Stacie who caught it deftly. Beca looked around the room, trying to find something decent to wear. It was like Aladdin's treasure trove. A fashionista would seriously think she has died and gone to heaven. The room was stuffed with samples, one offs, borrowed clothes for the shoots. Racks of clothes in every shape and colour. Chanel, YSL, Lagerfeld. Walls of Jimmy Choos, Blahniks and Louboutins with matching bags of all colours and sizes. And ruling the roost was one Stacie Conrad, uber fashion editor at RUNWAY, Harris &amp; Harris' flagship fashion magazine.

"Of course, they'll fit," Stacie said, coming over and handing Beca another top. It could only be described as bondage gear. "You are the tiniest person I know." She helped Beca put it on, pulling, pushing and mercilessly squashing Beca into that top, making her yelped a few times, before standing back to survey her handiwork. "There. You look perfect."

Beca was scowling. "Stacie! I looked like I should audition for Fifty shades of Grey!" She consciously crossed her arms over her chest, which was threatening to spill out from the black strappy tight top.

"It's all about the confidence, sweetie," Stacie said placatingly. She stood behind Beca, pulled her hair out of her messy bun and ruffled the locks lightly. "You are rocking the look. Put those arms away." There was several pings on her Mac desktop and Stacie went round the table to check her emails. "So what happened?" Stacie asked casually, as she opened her emails.

"Some idiot walked straight into me. That's all,"Beca said, still looking at her reflection in the mirror and trying to hide more of her cleavage. It was useless. She sighed in defeat. "Idiot ruined my favourite shirt."

"I wish you'll stop wearing those crappy band tshirts and let me dress you properly," Stacie said, her forehead wrinkling slightly. "Girl, you look so hot in a Miu Miu - "

"Nope. Nu-uh," Beca said immediately cutting her off. "I had a whole year of that, remember? Dressed up to the nines while being Cassandra Harris' PA slash bitch. For one whole fucking year. Urgh. And those heels! I think my feet's definitely fractured with all those stupid heels I had to wear. Nope. Not going to happen."

Stacie shrugged, "It was worth it, wasn't? One year being the Harris' bitch and now you are working at Decibel."

"Yeah," Beca conceded, applying a little more eyeliner. She swiped MAC Damn Glamourous red lipstick across her lips. "C Harris is not THAT bad to work with. It was Aubrey that drove me mad. God, she was only 1st assistant but she acted like she was the Editor-in-chief. Ugh. And all that time I had to help mop up her nervous vomit."

Stacie tried not to laugh. She had spent a year listening to Beca Mitchell's increasingly hairy description of that skanky bitch Posen. Stacie had been there and knew what Beca was on about but both of them survived the ordeal and were now where they really wanted to be in that publishing house.

"Decibel's not that bad to work at, right?" Stacie said, referring to the music magazine Beca was at.

"Yeah."

"But?" Stacie ventured, hearing the less than enthusiastic tone in Beca's voice.

Beca was quiet for a moment before answering, "I dunno. Noah's great and all. I'm getting the bylines but hell, Stacie, I had to fight off fangirls this morning, armed with a cat while trying to get a comment from Justin Bieber."

Stacie laughed at the mental image. "Oh babe, you've got to pay your dues."

"I know. I know," Beca groused. She turned to face Stacie, "Umm... not sure whether I should anything. I don't want to jinx it..."

"What?" Stacie said expectantly, pausing from looking at her emails. She took in the look on Beca's face and her mouth dropped open. "Oh my god! You are going out with someone! Are you, Becs? Oh my god! Who is it? How hot is he? I need to tell the girls."

Stacie pulled out her phone and began to furiously type a text.

"Put that thing away, oh my god, Stacie!" Beca bellowed. "I'm not going out with anyone. This hunter is a fuck free zone at the moment."

Stacie stopped typing and stared at Beca disappointedly. "That is the saddest thing anyone can say to me."

Beca tried not to chuckle at the look on Stacie's face. "It's not a man, ok? I'm done with relationships at this point."

"Oh Becs, it's been.. what.. a year? After that fuckface?"

"I don't want to talk about him." Beca said, turning back to the mirror, studying her reflection. Boots. She needed boots with this outfit. Stacie seemed to read her mind and waved her to a pair of black studded strap Manolo Blahnik boots on the shelf. Beca sat down, taking off her Converse and pulled the boots on while Stacie was still clicking through her emails.

"So.. what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Hmm?"

"Just now."

"Oh," Beca said, standing up and testing the boots. "Umm.. I've pitched some stories to Rolling Stone. And they seem to like it."

Stacie stopped what she was doing.

"What? Oh my god, Becs! That is fab!" Stacie was jumping up and down in her seat in excitement. She knew that Beca wanted to go across to Rolling Stone since like forever. Beca was trying hard to look nonchalant.

"Don't get too excited. They like the pitch. I still need to deliver," Beca said.

"But Rolling Stone, Becs!" Stacie said, grinning. "We are so celebrating tonight!"

"No. Don't. Nothing's happening yet. Don't get too excited about it." Beca was now gathering her things. "I've gotta go, Stace."

"OK. Those boots look great on you. I am so jealous you are a size 5. I really want those boots," Stacie said, surveying Beca's outfit. "You need a jacket with that though. Try the Valentino on the left."

Beca went to the nearest rack and plucked the black biker leather jacket off the hanger.

"Are you really serious, Becs?" Stacie piped up while Beca tried on the jacket. "Your hunter has been fuck free for a year?"

"Stacieeee!" Beca whined, not wanting to get into THAT discussion. Her friends were way too invested in her love life.

"You should move on from that fuckface, babe. He was not worth it." Stacie said, aware she was touching a raw nerve.

"I've moved on," Beca mumbled.

"Yeah, sure," Stacie said, unconvinced. "There's plenty of good looking men out there, Becs and baby, you'll have no problem attracting those bees to the honeypot."

"All men are dicks." Beca mumbled again. "100% dicks."

"Well, that's the best bit about them," Stacie grinned. A loud ping came through. "Oh, something from Amy." Stacie clicked on the email. "Oh my. Becs, you've GOT to see this."

"I don't really want to see Amy's pictures," Beca said. "The last one she send of double dick dude broke me." Beca shuddered at the mental image. She could never, ever unsee it. She was sure she would need some sort of expensive therapy after seeing that.

"No. No. Some new talent at Reception," Stacie said, concentrating hard at the pics Amy sent through. "Nice ass, too. She marked it VLEP, Becs. You're gonna like that."

Beca scoffed. "Whose meeting?"

"Benji."

"There you go. Probably Benji's thang."

"No. Amy said her gaydar didn't bleep. And Benji said no."

"Eh. Could mean anything." Beca said dismissively. She picked up her bags. "Gotta go."

She picked up her ruined tshirt, ready to stuff it into her bag.

"Leave that," Stacie said, going over and taking the tshirt out of her hand. She held it out by shoulders, looking at it speculatively. "Actually this looks kinda interesting with the stain." Stacie went to the nearest mannequin and tugged the shirt over. "Kind of post industrial, raw punk meets high fashion?"

Beca shook her head at her friend, not understanding a word she said. "Okayyy... leave that with you." Stacie just waved her away as she started to add more pieces of clothing and accessories to the mannequin, now completely absorbed in her work.

* * *

**Harris &amp; Harris Building, Reception**

Jesse Swanson sat down, cooling his heels at Reception. It had been a surreal sort of morning. He had planned to come in early to Harris &amp; Harris and perhaps take her out to breakfast but that coffee accident happened. He had to stop at Barney's and bought another shirt. The old one was a total write off.

His phone beeped.

_You here yet?_

Jesse smiled and quickly replied back - _Yep_

_Be on your best behaviour._

Jesse chuckled - _Don't I always? Sorry I can't take you out for breakfast._

_No problem. Busy morning. _

_See you later?_

The reply came a while later_. Maybe._

"Who's that dish?"Marc St. James whispered to Amy, checking out the man sitting down at Reception. The lanky personal assistant draped himself on the Reception desk and brushed his already perfectly coiffed hair aside. "He looks delicious."

"Hands off, Marc," Amy said, poking him in the rib. "He's Benji."

"Ugh. Benji? That's boring," Marc pouted. "Are you sure we can't bring him up to MODE? Amanda will eat him alive. Or me. I don't mind sharing."

"Back off, St. James." Amy warned. "Applebaum might look all soft and gooey but you don't want to mess with that boy. He's a magician. He can make you disappear."

Marc was still ogling at the talent on that seat and sighed, "I suppose I better get my ass up to Wilhemina. She's on a warpath about next month's cover. Honestly, that Daniel Mea..."

"Don't mention that name in front of me!"

Marc looked down in surprise at the hard look on Amy's face. She looked like she could break him into two. "Oh right. Beca. That angry alt girl. Sorry." He quickly apologised and stood up. "I'm going to go. There's a new PA starting with Dan... with.. erm.. umm... new PA starting. By the name of Betty Suarez. See you later, Ames."

Marc St. James walked passed that delicious morsel on the seat and gave him his best flirtatious smile. Jesse smiled back, frowning a little before going back to texting on his phone.

"Jesse Swanson?"

Jesse looked up to see an earnest looking man with curly hair, smiling down at him. He stood up quickly.

"Yes. You must be Benjamin Applebaum," he said, offering out his hand.

"Just Benji please." Benji replied, shaking Jesse's hand. He looked over his shoulder. "Thanks Ames! I'll take Room 2. Now, would you follow me please?"

Benji walked deeper into the office, along a corridor with Jesse following behind. He stopped in front of a door and went into the room. The door was closed and then they both stood facing each other, grinning.

"Oh god, Jesse! So good to see you, bro!" Benji said. "It must have been years."

They went into a fist bump and man hug. Jesse was chuckling as he got out of the hug.

"Hey roomie. So Benji then? Not Mr. Applebaum here?"

"Don't be stupid, man. Of course, it's Benji," the other man said, sitting down on the nearest chair. Jesse sat opposite him, still grinning. Benji looked at the file he had with him. "Bro, what are you getting into? I've never seen Mr. Harris Senior so excited."

Jesse smiled depreciatingly. "I know what I'm doing."

Benji was still reading off the file but he nodded. "Yeah. You always seem to have everything together. Right from college." He made a few notes with the fountain pen he took from his inner pocket. "Right. Full works for you, bro, starting from the bottom at the Post Room. You are going to have fun..."

* * *

**Office of Decibel magazine**

"Becaaaa! Get in here."

Beca nearly jumped at the sound of her editor hollering her name down the corridor. Ok. She can do this. Beca straightened up and strode down the corridor, her new boots clicking a staccato on the wooden floor.

"You wanna see me, chief?" she said mildly. Noah Adams was sitting behind his desk, the Book spread out before him. He glanced up and motioned her to come over.

"Where have you been?" Noah said crossly. "You should have been here two hours ago."

"You did send me to cover that Bieber," Beca said equally crossed.

"And where's the piece?" Noah demanded. "That needs to go online pronto. It's all over online. These fangirls are voracious, Becs. We need to be up there, on the front."

"Cool it, will ya?" Beca said. "It's all done. Check your mail."

Noah looked at her doubtfully before swinging his gaze to the numbers on his screen. What he saw made him smile. He smiled even wider at the retweets and size of the hotspots for the click-throughs.

"Good work, Mitchell," Noah said, rubbing his hands in glee. "I knew I could depend on you."

Beca rolled her eyes. "Can I go now? I need to work on that Jagger piece?"

"Yeah. Ok. Get that piece on my desk by c.o.p tomorrow," Noah said, going back to the Book in front of him. Beca got up and walked towards the door. "Oh, Beca?"

She stopped and turned to face Noah. He was still examining one particular page and did not look up. "I wanted to tell you two hours ago.." he began casually. ".. you've been promoted to Music Editor. Congratulations."

Beca just as casually nodded and walked out of the room. She slowly walk to her desk and pocketed her phone, before saying to her nearest colleague, "Hey, Jim. I'm going down for a coffee."

Jim looked up and nodded. Beca quickly walked out with a brief smile. Jim thought he could hear Beca screaming out in glee as soon as she walked out of the door. He shook his head – that could not be true.

* * *

**Somewhere in the H&amp;H building**

"Oh my god, how do you concentrate working here?"

Jesse could not help but ogled at a few models languidly posing at a photo shoot. Another sashayed past him in nothing but her underwear. Jesse gulped a little, looking away. Benji was already hurrying past and Jesse tried to keep up.

"That's the third floor. Most of MODE and RUNWAY are up on the top two floors. Other magazine titles on fourth, fifth and sixth. Staff cafe on first. Your pass is good for everywhere. You'll get your head round the place in no time," Benji droned on as he pressed for the elevator. The elevator arrived and they went inside. Benji pressed a button. "Now Mr. Harris ask to see you soonest after we have lunch. But before that, we have to get you to The Closet."

Jesse raised an eyebrow and Benji had to laugh. "Dude, I'm out of the closet for ages. This is a different thing."

The elevator pinged open and Jesse was again hurrying after Benji. Damn, that boy moved fast. He did not remember Benji being this quick back in college. He turned a corner and walked up to a door. Benji swiped his access card and keyed in his passcode and the door slid open.

"Whoa. This is definitely a closet," Jesse remarked, looking round at the clothes and accessories available in that room.

"Damn, Stacie's not here. She must have popped up for lunch," Benji said, after looking quickly round "Well, I'm sure she won't mind if we borrow a few things. OK, what size are you?"

"What?" Jesse said, confused.

"Need to change that suit. Coffee stains down your trousers, Jesse."

Jesse looked down. He thought his dark suit had hidden the stains well. When he looked up, Benji was already thrusting a dark blue suit at him, with matching shirt and tie. Armani. Nice. Jesse was changing into the new suit when Benji's phone rang.

"Benji here." He listened intently to the phone before rubbing his temples. "Jesus, ok. I'll be up soon. Just make sure they are separated. Blood is impossible to clean off silk carpets."

He ended the call and looked up at Jesse. "Bro, I've got to go head off a crisis. Are you OK to go for lunch on your own? I'll meet you back at Reception in an hour."

"Yeah, sure."

Benji left him still trying to put on his tie. The Closet was massive and Jesse looked round trying to work his head round the amount of stuff in that room. His attention was caught by a tshirt on a mannequin. A Sex Pistols tshirt with what looked like a coffee stain on a mannequin, now pinned and tucked and sleeves artfully ripped, with what looked like a leather short skirt with chains.

Jesse frowned a little.

That was a bizarre coincidence.

Ok.

He quickly sent a text . _Lunch?_

_No. W is being a bitch. _

Jesse smiled_. You're a bigger one. Get in there._

_Thank you. _

He slid the phone back into his pocket. The suit fitted like a dream. Jesse went up the elevator and got off on what he thought was the ground floor, except it opened out to a corridor. He got out, a little puzzled and walked down the corridor. Did him and Benji walk down this way?

He was trying to remember the way back to Reception. Maybe that blonde Aussie receptionist could help. He was already hopelessly lost. Jesse backtracked a little.

Ok. That way was to the photo studios on the third. Surely this way was to Reception?

He turned round sharply.

And walked straight into another cup of coffee.

He yelped. That coffee was hot.

But his yelp was drowned by the voracious swearing coming from the other person. Jesse stood stock still, too surprised to feel the liquid seeping into his new shirt. A tiny brunette was in front of him, swearing to high heaven, desperately trying to wipe down her black leather jacket with her hands.

It was the same brunette.

The same tiny, cute brunette he walked into this morning.

She was cursing like a sailor and Jesse had to chuckle at how angry she was. He shouldn't but it was just too cute seeing such a small person so angry. Then she raised her baby blues to glare at him and Jesse quickly shut his mouth.

"What the fuck? You!"

It was spat out with such vehemence that Jesse immediately thought of protecting his balls. And his throat. Just in case.

"Urm.. yeah. Sorry?"

She threw him a look of such loathing that Jesse stepped back. He patted his pockets, futilely trying to find a napkin or handkerchief to help. She was already taking off her jacket, shaking it violently to get rid of the coffee.

"Stacie is going to KILL me," the little brunette was swearing now. "Do you understand what you have done? This is a Valentino, for fuck's sake. You don't pour coffee on a Valentino!"

Jesse did not hear a word.

Because he was too busy staring.

At that top. That rack. That pale skin.

"Oh my god! You are an idiot," the lady seemed to be saying. Jesse was too fixated on her plump red lips to hear properly. She wasn't wearing that shade lipstick when he bumped into her this morning. Nor that tight top. And her hair was different. And she had a cat?

But it was the same girl. He was sure of that. No one swore that much.

She was huffing loudly now, still angry. Jesse didn't mind. She can be angry all she want. Just as long as he could stand there, staring at her.

"Just get out of my way."

She brushed past him angrily and Jesse stepped aside to let her through. He was still staring. She walked away, brown hair swinging, perfect ass in tight jeans, her high heeled boots clicking. Jesse sighed seeing that flower tattoo on her shoulder, barely covered by the straps on her top.

"Wow."

* * *

**AN :** _I know. I know. What am I doing starting a new story? I am a bad person. OK, I'm sure it's obvs but this one is set in a publishing house, Harris &amp; Harris. H&amp;H (for short) owns several magazines - MODE, Runway, Decibel and other titles. Most of the Bellas and Trebles work there in one capacity or another. It's not really a mash-up of Ugly Betty and The Devil Wears Prada; although some of the characters in the other stories will pop round to say a few lines._

_Aaaannnd there is a reason why this story is rated M :) _

**Anyone wanted to hazard a guess what Code 408 and VLEP stand for?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_Hello I love you  
__Won't you tell me your name  
__Hello I love you  
__Let me jump in your game_

_She's walking down the street  
__Blind to every eye she meets  
__Do you think you'll be the guy  
__to make the Queen of the angels sigh?_

* * *

For the next two weeks, Jesse Swanson moved round the H&amp;H building and just as Benji predicted, he got his head round the place quick enough. Getting his head round the H&amp;H business, however, was something else. The number of titles H&amp;H had under its belt was mind-boggling enough; let alone the various other enterprises that came under H&amp;H Corp.

Jesse ran his eyes down the report in front of him, digesting its contents. The numbers were beginning to morph in front of his eyes and he had to stop staring at them for a second. He was used to this. He did this for a living and he would find what was wrong with this picture. Nothing thrilled Jesse Swanson more than to work through a challenge.

Like trying to find out where that sexy brunette worked.

She had to work somewhere in H&amp;H. He knew that. It was more than a coincidence that he saw that cat, that coffee stained Sex Pistols tshirt and bumping into her for the second time that day. He had tried to work out where. He had not seen her around either in the staff canteen or any of the common areas H&amp;H staff used.

No. That was a lie.

He did saw her once.

He was on the mezzanine looking down on the building's main reception and there she was, hair flicked back, all attitude, all swagger, striding across the marble floor towards the exit. She cut a swathe through the usual throng of people at the busy reception and seemed to be immune to the admiring looks thrown by 90% of the males in that space. By the time he reached the ground floor and out of the exit doors, she was already gone.

He did discreetly popped round to both MODE and RUNWAY to find her. Well, with the way she was dressed in Valentino, that kick-ass fuck me boots and that runway walk, she should be in the fashion rags, right?

Nope. Not even a ghost of a shadow.

The only thing he got with his forays into MODE was an overenthusiastic, flirtatious welcome from a man-eater named Amanda. He could spot them a mile away. She looked so disappointed when he said he was looking for a short girl with dark hair and actually scowled before buzzing for someone. Jesse had thought he found the mysterious brunette, only to find a perky girl with black hair and braces by the name of Betty asking what she could help him with.

And at RUNWAY, of course, there was Aubrey. He couldn't quite say he was looking for a particular girl with Aubrey around. She would be suspicious.

"Well, Jesse, what do you think?"

He quickly snapped back into the room. Benji was looking at him expectantly. Jesse busied himself by doodling a little on his pad, like he was in deep thought. He could ask Benji, of course. Benji would know. But Jesse Swanson was supposed to be on his best behaviour. He could not let his guard down and slide into his old habits.

"There is so much to learn," Jesse said slowly, his mind racing ahead.

"Yes, you can see by the figures, H&amp;H is in good shape. But both MODE and RUNWAY are haemorrhaging money - " Benji continued.

"Yes. I can see that. What about the circulation figures and advertising revenue for the last twelve months?"

"I'll get Bumper to send those through to you." Benji said, making a note.

"I need a breakdown on all operating costs as well."

"OK." Benji made another note. "Are you alright with all the other aspects?"

"I need to see more than just figures, Benji. I think I need to be on the ground more. Perhaps spend a few days at each department?" Jesse mused.

"That's not a bad idea," Benji replied. "That'll give you an overview of the place."

Jesse looked at the sheaf of papers in front of him, running a finger down the list of shared functions in the corporation and found a likely contender. "Everyone use the same Post Room?"

"Yes, that's in-house. One of the cost-saving we did some years back."

"Let's start there."

"You want to work in the post room?"

"Yes. Why not?"

* * *

**In Decibel's office, a few days later**

_Bieber's music can only be described as a cross between an angry cockatoo on steroids and a flatulent bulldog._

Beca re-read what she typed. There was no way Noah would let her print that but she felt a little satisfaction typing it. She loved her job; she really did. Noah let her get away with most things but if she were to post that online under the Decibel account, the amount of Beliebers who would trash them will probably break the internet.

_Hmm... maybe I should start a parody account - _Beca grinned a little at that thought.

"What are you up to?"

Jim's voice intruded into her pleasant thoughts

"What? Nothing," Beca said, quickly wiping her grin off and concentrating on her Mac screen. Jim was still looking at her. _Suspicious fucker _– Beca thought, her hand already moving to her phone to open her Twitter account. Setting up a new parody one took only minutes.

"These came for Noah," Jim said, dropping a large envelope. "But since you did the dirty copy this time round - "

Beca nodded, sliding a letter opener into the envelope and extracting the document. Her eyes ran quickly through it and Beca frowned deeply. What the fuck is this? Beca picked up the phone receiver and started to punch a number she knew by heart. "CR, it's me. Yeah. I got the copy. What the hell is this? This was not what I sent off the other day."

Beca hated to be so bitchy to one of her oldest mate but the copy she just received was all wrong. She was sure she posted the ones with all the dirty edits done by Noah and a bunch of other editors. She had been very careful about that. None of the edits were present in the final proof she had in front of her.

"That's the lastest one I've got, sugar," CR said from the other line. "I did thought it was a little weird there were not that many changes."

This was a disaster. A freaking disaster. They would be running late to print. Her first ever doing the main edit; she could NOT fuck this up.

"Are you sure you didn't get the latest one I sent?" Beca bleated, running her hand through her hair in frustration.

"Nope. That's the only one," said CR.

Beca's hand scrambled round her desk and closed triumphantly on a slip of paper.

"It's ok, CR," Beca said, smiling a little evilly now. "Looks like Post room cocked up. Guess what I'm going to do next?"

* * *

He heard the commotion first before Bob, the post room supervisor, ran into the annex, sweating profusely. Jesse looked up at Bob frantically running through the records in the system before thumbing through the dead letters. Dead because they could not read the address or the address does not exist or incomplete.

"You OK, Bob?" Jesse said, coming over to offer some help. Bob's face was deathly pale. Jesse had only spend about three days there and although Bob sometimes suffered from B.O, he was nice and Jesse did like him. Bob looked like he needed oxygen at this stage.

"No time to explain. Help me find this one!" Bob hissed, passing the receipt slip to Jesse. He took one look and remembered the envelope. The scrawl was so bad they could not make out whom it was for or from which department the envelope was from. He drew the envelope out from the pile.

"Oh thank god," Bob muttered, grabbing the envelope.

"Hey..let me take the blame for this." Jesse said magnanimously, trying to take the envelope back. He felt a little bad at how distressed Bob looked.

"No. You don't understand who this is from." Bob said weakly, his hands already making sweat stains on the envelope.

"It's fine," Jesse said cheerily taking the envelope from him and stepping out of the annex to the main post area.

Only to be met with a 110 pounds of pure fury, with brown hair and blue eyes.

They stared at each other in silence.

Beca was first to drew a breath.

Because she wanted to scream in frustration.

But instead she breathed in deeply and said slowly, "Why am I not surprised?"

Jesse finally found his voice back. "Hey, we meet again."

Beca just closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

"Are you the idiot who messed up my proofs?"

Her voice was hard like diamonds.

"Umm.. we couldn't read the handwriting," Jesse said, showing the front of the envelope to her. "And I don't know who to check the address with."

Seeing Beca silently looking at the untidy scrawl in front of the envelope, Jesse spoke up again. "Is that your handwriting? You should really use Block Capitals, you know. This envelope could end up anywhere. Better still, you should use pre-made labels. And add a return label. So if anything like this happened, we could trace it back to sender - "

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

Jesse stopped his verbal diarrhoea.

"Have you ever thought about tracing the receipt slip, you moron? You could see that envelope was from Decibel. You could come up and ask us."

Her reasoning was faultless and Jesse felt a little foolish now.

"I supposed we could have done that." he conceded. "I hope this is not urgent?"

Beca sighed. She took a pen on the counter and wrote down the address, very clearly and in block capitals this time. She waved the slip in front of Jesse.

"Now listen here. This envelope is super urgent and needs to be delivered to this address yesterday," she said, frighteningly calm. "So get off your ass and stop playing Mario Kart with Bob in that annex over there and get this delivered by bike in the next five minutes. Do you understand?"

There was something incredibly chilling in the way she spoke.

"Now I am going upstairs and I am going to call the printers in the next half hour," she continued still in that chilling tone. "And if this envelope is not there in front of Cynthia-Rose, I am going to come down and have your balls for breakfast. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am."

Beca just gave him one final stare before stalking away.

It was quiet for a moment and Bob peeped through the crack at the doorway. _Oh god _– Bob thought – _the new boy had gone mental. That scary Beca Mitchell had broke him. He was just standing there smiling. What am I going to tell Benji?_

"Jesse?" Bob squeaked worriedly. "You ok?"

Jesse turned, smiling at him, his hands turning the envelope repeatedly "Yeah. Couldn't be better."

* * *

**H&amp;H Staff canteen**

"It's like some sort of joke, Amy," Beca groused, carrying her tray through the line. Amy was munching on a breadstick. "He popped up so many times into the office yesterday; it's not even funny. I had to stay out of the office all day to avoid him. I swear he is like some sort of bad luck cloud."

"A hot bad luck cloud." Amy said, mouth full with breadstick.

"Who are we talking about?" Stacie chimed in. She cut the queue shamelessly and stood next to Beca. No one dared to say anything.

"That hot VLEP dude, Jesse Swanson," Amy replied. "He's hanging round Decibel like a bad luck cloud."

"A hot bad luck cloud," Stacie agreed. Amy shot Beca a triumphant look.

Beca just muttered under her breath. She had a chicken salad on her tray but felt like chomping on a full burger at the moment. Ah what the heck? Beca ordered the burger and walked to the nearest empty table with Stacie and Amy following suit.

"He's so hot, though, Beca," Stacie said, continuing their conversation. She popped some Tater Tots into her mouth. "I don't see a ring. He smells single. And everyone was saying how nice he is."

"Eh." Beca answered, sinking her teeth into the juicy burger. "Not interested."

"Even Chloe approves," Amy said, slurping a spoonful of tomato soup and munching on some hard cheddar cheese.

Beca nearly choked on her next bite. "Chloe? What does Chloe have to do with this?"

"We have to send her pics. Ummm.. for research purposes," Amy said, not meeting Beca's eyes.

"Don't even think of it." Beca said sharply.

"What?" Both Stacie and Amy said innocently.

"Not going to happen," Beca said, knowing that they were thinking about. She waved at a girl standing by the pasta station, looking a little lost. "Andrea! Andy! Come sit with us."

Andrea Sachs gratefully made her way over and joined their table. "Thanks," she said, smiling a little nervously in relief. "No one seems to eat proper food here. Thanks for asking me to sit with you."

Beca just shook her head and said, "You know everyone right? Amy and Stacie. Guys, Andy just started as the newest PA to Cassandra Harris at Runway. Can we all raise a glass in commiseration?"

Andrea laughed as the girls clinked glasses and looked at her with mock sadness. "Thank you for that. It's not been that bad, really."

"The six a.m. calls have not started yet," Stacie said sagely and Beca nodded in agreement. "So how's Aubrey?"

"She's ok," Andrea said, fiddling with her fork. "She's very.. umm... protective of Cassandra."

"That's one way of putting it," Beca said. She put her burger down. "Aubrey's been Cassandra's 1st assistant for as long as I can remember. She could have gone off to any other titles by now."

The girls nodded in agreement.

"So which department is Jesse in by the way?" Stacie then asked Amy. "I thought he was in the Post room but then he was in Circulation with Bumper and then Accounts. And I thought I saw up him up in Editorial at RUNWAY."

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "He's anywhere and everywhere. Ask Benji. He'll know."

Stacie was about to pop another Tater Tot into her mouth when her phone rang loudly. Stacie quickly opened the message and the Tater Tot dropped onto the tray. "Shit. Fuck. Bell end!"

"What is it?" The girls were all now looking at the normally unflappable Stacie.

"Andy, we've got to go," Stacie said, quickly getting up. "Cassandra just moved the runthrough half an hour early. Which means we are already fifteen minutes late. What are you doing? Just leave those there! Ames and Beca can clear it for us."

The two girls hurried off to the elevator. Amy just nonchalantly picked up the Tater Tots from Stacie's tray and ate it. "Fashion girls. So highly strung," she muttered, shaking her head. Beca just nodded in agreement.

* * *

_She holds her head so high  
__Like a statue in the sky  
__Her arms are wicked and her legs are long  
__When she moves my brain screams out this song_

_Sidewalk crouches at her feet  
__Like a dog that begs for something sweet  
__Do you hope to make her see you, fool?  
__Do you hope to pluck this dusky jewel_

**Elevator going up**

She shouldn't have eaten that burger. It tasted heavenly but she was feeling so full now. And this stupid heavy ass box was not helping. Beca shifted the box in her arms. Noah had asked her to retrieve some past copies of Decibel as well as some old finance reports. Something about an audit. Why they did not already digitise all these Beca did not know. It would have saved her a trip down to the bowels of the building and having to haul this heavy box up all those floors.

The elevator pinged loudly and stopped at the next floor. The few people in the elevator surged forward to the exit, talking loudly amongst themselves. One jostled into Beca as she exit and she nearly snapped at her. Beca bit down her rude retort at the last minute and just gave that rude woman a baleful glare.

The door was about to close when a hand came round stopping the door.

And Jesse Swanson walked in.

"Hey."

Great. Just great. Just when she was feeling gross and fat, she had to run into Jesse Swanson. And damn, does he looked good in that suit.

Beca was hoping that if she ignore him, he would not speak to her. No such luck. He was smiling at her and leant across to press the button for his floor. He leant in too close and pressed into the box she was holding. Beca had to shift the box a little as it threatened to slip from her grasp.

"Oh sorry," he was saying now. "That looks heavy. Can I help you with it?"

He was a little too close. And smiling so prettily. It must be illegal for guys to have such a pretty smile. Wait. What?

Beca cleared her throat. "I got it."

He stood close, still looking at her. "Umm.. so I didn't make a good impression. Shall we start again? I'm Jesse, by the way."

Beca was looking up at the rising number on the display panel. Can this lift move any slower?

"I know," she replied, trying to sound dismissive. Like he was sooooo insignificant and not worth her time.

Hah! Burn!

Hang on. That didn't sound right. It sounded that she made it her business to find out who he was. Damn it! And he caught on because he was chuckling lowly now. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

They rode in silence for a moment before he spoke up again.

"I don't know whether you know this," he started. "But you've got a ketchup smear on your cheek."

What? She had what?

Beca turned her head to look at her reflection on the elevator's stainless steel wall and nearly groaned out loud. He was right. There was a dried up ketchup smear ran right across her right cheek. Must be from that burger she scoffed down just now. Beca tried letting go of the box with her right hand to wipe that smear away but the box wobbled dangerously and she nearly dropped it. She had to clutch it again with both hands.

He was laughing now. "Here, let me help."

He stepped closer and brushed his fingers against her cheek. Beca gave him the stare of death. The one that would have made even The Rock think twice about approaching. But Jesse Swanson was a made of sterner stuff.

"Stop being so stubborn and let me help."

He was still standing close to her. Beca nodded irately. He brought his thumb up to his mouth, licked it and rubbed the smear away.

"There. All gone," his voice a husky whisper.

He was standing far too close. Why was he standing so close? In his well fitting suit and tie, the jacket hanging perfectly from his wide shoulders, his muscly chest evident under that shirt. And goddamnit, Amy was right. His voice was like ear porn.

The elevator pinged loudly again The door opened and Mr. Harris Senior, CEO and owner of Harris &amp; Harris Corp. walked in. Beca stepped back quickly. "Good afternoon Mr. Harris," she mumbled.

Mr. Harris Senior raised his eyes to look at Beca and nodded in recognition. He then looked at Jesse and smiled widely, "Jesse! Good to see you, son."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Harris."

"How are you finding H&amp;H, son?"

"It's great, sir," Jesse replied. He threw a sidealong glance before smiling. "Everyone's been really friendly."

"Good. Good." Mr. Harris Snr. replied. "Where have you been so far?"

Jesse rattled off the departments he had spent some time with. Beca pretended to be interested in the elevator buttons but she was eavesdropping shamelessly. Hmm. Who would have thought that idiot was so well connected? Here he was chatting with Mr. Harris Snr. like a long lost son. They were sharing a joke now, laughing in between them.

"Sounds like you are getting a handle on H&amp;H, son," Mr Harris Snr was saying. He then chortled a little before lifting an eyebrow. "I;m surprised you are not spending most of your time up at RUNWAY."

"I try not to, sir. Don't want to get distracted."

At that precise moment, that stupid, heavy box gave way. Beca yelped a little in surprise as all the contents of the box fell all over the elevator floor. Oh god, can this get any MORE embarrassing?

She was on her knees scrambling to put everything back in the box. And another pair of were now busy helping her. The door pinged on her floor just as Beca quickly stuffed the last of the papers into the box.

"Let me carry this for you."

His voice was like velvet next to her ear. Beca just huffed and picked up the box. She stood up, grasping the box tight, praying it would not give way again.

"I said I got it."

With that, Beca tossed her hair back and strode away from the elevator. And for the second time, Jesse Swanson watched her walked away yet again.

**_Hello. I want you. I need my baby_**

* * *

**AN :** _Hello I love you by The Doors. There's a version sung by Finn (the late Cory Monteith) but I prefer the original._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"So what's her deal?"

Benji looked up at Jesse who was sitting next to him at the bar. They were having a beer, catching up right after work. The place was a popular hangout for H&amp;H staff and was filling up fast but Benji could see where Jesse's eyes were. They were right across the bar, focussed on a group of girls, who were merrily laughing and drinking away.

Benji clocked the familiar faces; looking at each in turn. There was Amy (Fat Amy to most) and Stacie Conrad. And there was Beca Mitchell. A moment later, another girl with a shock of pink hair joined them and both Jesse and Benji could hear the girls squealing "CR!" before falling on top of the newcomer in a group hug.

Benji watched as Jesse's gaze did not waver from the group

Hmm. Unusual. From his track record, he would have thought Jesse would be more interested in the gaggle of blonde models on the other side.

"Which one?" Benji finally asked.

"That brunette."

"Tall or short?"

"I know Stacie. It's that little firecracker."

Jesse took a sip of his beer, still watching the tiny brunette from across the bar. She was laughing at something that Amy was saying. He had only seen her angry and scowling, which frankly turned him on a little but he couldn't help thinking how different she looked laughing - eyes sparkling, head thrown back , face wreathed with the biggest smile. He wished he was the one making her laugh like that. That would be amazing.

He had never met anyone like her.

Jesse did not like to brag but girls were usually not that immune to his charms. A half smile, a friendly voice, a little flattery followed by a lingering look and they were usually putty in his hands. But this girl was impenetrable. Ok, he did met her in the worst possible way - spilling coffee over her not once, but twice, then stupidly mixing up her post. He did try in that elevator but she was just so... just so... stubborn.

"So what's her deal?" Jesse asked again, finishing up his beer. Jesse caught the bartender's eye and ordered two more; one for him and another for Benji.

Benji was silent, thinking how best to say it.

Beca Mitchell.

How can he say it?

Of course, Benji knew about that scandal a year back. He heard what happened between Beca and Daniel Meade, editor-in-chief of MODE no less, whilst she was still working at rival RUNWAY. It should't be that scandalous actually. H&amp;H was such a hotbed of dangerous liaisons and affairs something like what happened between them would be normal. The tragedy was perhaps to Daniel, Beca was just another notch on the bed post. To her, it would have meant so much more; especially if the rumours of a hushed abortion was true. Benji did like Beca and he was sorry that it had to happen to her. And he admired that despite that setback she still came fighting back.

"Dude, that's Beca Mitchell, " Benji finally said. "You don't want to go there."

"What? Why?" Jesse asked, brows knitting together. God, even her name was unusual. "Is she a bunny boiler or something?"

"No, she's sweet, really," Benji said, his face looking just a little sad. "Just don't go there."

Jesse went back to his beer, mulling over what Benji said. Benji looked serious and obviously Benji would know the score, right? Jesse should really heed his warning. His life was complicated enough already as it was. He did not really need another problem to add onto the pile. He should really just behave, do his job and steer clear from any sort of hook ups, casual or not.

Except he just could not stop staring at her.

* * *

"Dude, don't look now. But 408 man at the bar staring at you." Amy was speaking from the corner of her mouth.

"What? Where?" Beca said, immediately looking around.

"I said don't look!" Amy said, exasperated. Beca squinted towards the bar. It was just too crowded and dim; she could not quite make out whom Amy was referring too. She also had quite a few drinks by now.

Beca just shrugged her shoulders. "Eh. He's probably checking out Stacie."

"Who?" Stacie chimed in.

"Dude at the bar. Checking you out." Beca said.

"Ooooohhhh. That's Jesse," Stacie replied, now craning her neck to look. "He's so hot but not my type at all. And he's totally checking you out, Becs. Come on! Maybe he's the one to break the seal."

"Seal? Where?" Amy said, looking round. "Man, they should have said it's Bring A Pet night! I could have brought my wallaby."

"No. No." Stacie said, waving her hands about before landing a heavy arm on Beca's shoulders "The B-Meister here had not been laid for a year! Yes, for a whole year! It's about time my girl here get some!"

She said it a bit too loud. Amy and CR were gasping out loud whilst Beca cringed in embarrassment. Fortunately, the bar was far too noisy and Stacie's declaration was swallowed up in all that noise.

"Dude, a whole year?" CR was staring at her in disbelief. "Are you sure it all still works?"

"I know a girl who didn't have sex for a year and her hymen grew back. Twice as thick," Amy whispered seriously. "True story."

"Amy! That's ridiculous. CR, of course it still works!" Beca said to each of her friend in turn. "And Stacie? Don't."

"Aww Beca, I think you should give him a chance," Stacie cooed. "He's practically undressing you with his eyes from over there..."

"Hey girls!"

They all swivelled round to see Amanda Tannen, MODE receptionist tottering up to them in her gravity defying heels.

"Hey Amanda" they all chorused in greeting. It was rather hot in the bar but Amanda was still wearing a thick knee length fur coat in that heat."Not staying long?" Stacie said, gesturing to the coat. "The talent's quite good tonight, if you're on the prowl."

"Umm no," the doozy girl giggled, sipping on her pink Cosmo. "Just a quick drink and I'll be off. I've gotta do a surprise call." She winked at the girls and quickly opened her coat a fraction before pulling it close. She was only wearing racy lingerie underneath.

"Who's the lucky guy?" Amy asked.

Stacie's warning look came a little too late.

"Who else but Daniel Meade?" Amanda giggled with a wink. "I'm doing a charity fuck tonight, girls. The poor boy has needs after all. And that new PA, Betty Suarez, is a train wreck; no way he's going to screw her."

Amanda sipped at her cocktail, oblivious to the drop in temperature within the circle. Her phone buzzed and she checked the message, smiling. "Alright, sweeties! My booty's been called. I'm off to get fucked; don't wait up!"

She tottered off and an uneasy silence fell on the group.

Beca downed her drink in one, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said, "I want to get drunk. I want to dance. And I want to get laid. In that order. See to it, bitches."

* * *

"Wow! Is it always this busy?" Jesse was trying to speak to Benji over the din.

"What?"

"Is it always this busy?" Jesse shouted.

Benji shook his head.

"Nah. Only on karaoke nights!" he hollered back, pointing to the little stage. "Oh look! It's Bumper singing. You've met Bumper."

But Jesse was not paying attention to Benji anymore.

He was looking at where Benji was pointing at but his eyes were caught by the crotch-grabbing sight of Beca Mitchell dancing. Hair swinging, hips swaying, arms thrown up high. Her eyes were closed as if in ecstasy as she danced with wild abandon. They say you could always tell how good a girl is in bed by the way she dances. And seeing Beca Mitchell danced made Jesse Swanson feel many things. Like how he really wanted to get her alone somewhere.

He was not the only one thinking the same because another guy just danced up to her, now holding her on the waist. She looked up at him, smiling but shook her head before putting some distance between them. That pervert was persistent, trying to pull her close by grabbing her ass and grinding closer. Jesse could feel his blood rushing to his ears. He was ready to stride in and haul that creepy fucker off her but then, something comical happened.

Both CR and Amy were dancing closer to that pervert, bumping and grinding into him. He was trapped between the two girls, bouncing in between. The poor guy had the look of abject terror on his face as he was swallowed in the mass of dancers with Amy and CR still grinding into him. And Beca Mitchell walked off the dance floor, laughing.

She was heading towards the bar.

"Umm... I gotta take a leak," Jesse lied to Benji. It was a little unnecessary because Benji was being chatted up at that moment. Jesse slipped away unnoticed and hurried over to the bar. She was trying to catch the bartender's attention but she was so tiny there was no way she could be spotted. So Jesse thought.

"Hey, you need help?" he said, flashing his trademark grin.

Beca Mitchell swung round and met his chocolate eyes. For a moment, he thought she was going to hit him but miraculously, Beca Mitchell didn't.

"No, I got this."

The corner of Jesse's mouth turned up in an exasperated half smile. "Seriously, do you have a problem accepting help?"

She was trying not to smile. "No, I really got this. Watch."

Beca Mitchell tossed her hair back and leant forward onto the bar. And within seconds, the bartender was in front of them.

"Hey Becs, what can I get you?"

"The usual for me, Bill, " Beca said smiling. "And for my gal pal here _(she jerked her head __towards__ Jesse)_ an Appletini?" Bill nearly laughed out loud as Jesse hurriedly said, "Umm...no. A Corona please, with lime."

Bill nodded and went off to make their drinks.

"How did you do that?" Jesse said. "I didn't catch it. How did you get him over so fast?"

Beca just shrugged. "Oh. You know..." She gestured at her chest and Jesse's eyes fell on her impressive rack. And lingered a little too long. She caught him staring.

"Umm..ok" Jesse said, trying to cover up his embarrassment. He looked down sorrowfully at his non-existent boobs. "That move is no good for me then."

She laughed.

A low, throaty sexy laugh.

"No, Not that. Bill plays in a band," she continued. "I review their gigs sometimes. So he wants to stay on my good side."

"Ok." was all he could say. They stood in silence waiting for their drinks and Jesse was now staring at her profile.

"What? Do I have ketchup on my cheek again?"

Beca turned to look at him and he had to laugh.

"No," Jesse said. "It's just...I've never met someone like you."

"You must go out more often," Beca replied, looking amused.

"Trust me. I've been around the block."

"Yeah? Which block? Upper East side?"

It was a jibe but he didn't mind. Just as long as she kept smiling like that. She was looking at him like she was thinking and then she smiled, like she made up her mind.

"I'm Beca, by the way," she said.

Jesse could hardly keep the grin off his face. "I know."

He knew she wanted to laugh but she scoffed lightly instead. Bill came with their drinks and Jesse quickly handed the money over, together with a fat tip. "Let me get this." He picked up her Brave Bull to hand it to her but someone jostled into his back and the drink sloshed a little. This time her reflexes were like a cat and Beca quickly jumped back before he could threw more of the drink onto her.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry!" Jesse was more than a little mortified now. Seriously? Three times? He tried grabbing more napkins off the bar whilst still holding the drink but she closed her hand over his and took the glass away first.

"Ok. Let's put that drink down, shall we?" Beca said, placing the glass back onto the counter before grabbing some tissues and wiping her front. It was only a few drops and she was relatively dry.

"I am usually not this clumsy, I promise," Jesse bleated out. This could not be happening. He was making progress and now he chucked another drink down her? He sure he had blew any chance he had with her. "I swear I don't mean to ruin your clothes every time we meet."

There was a naughty twinkle in her eye. "Well, maybe I should just stop wearing clothes around you then."

_Wait. What?_ \- Jesse did not have a come back. He was too surprised - _Is she flirting with me? _Any attempt to answer back was quickly squashed when Amy and CR came barreling into them. "Beca, there you are!" Amy squealed. She gave Jesse a look and smiled appreciatively, "Hey there, hottie." Between what Beca said just now and the accompanying mental image and Amy's suggestive look, Jesse found himself blushing. And he had not blushed for a long time.

"Your turn on the mic, dude," CR was saying now.

"What? Already?" Beca groaned.

"Yep, Amy chose the song."

"Oh god, I need some liquid courage," Beca declared. She gulped as much of her drink as she could before striding towards the small stage. The girls followed suit together with Jesse.

"What's happening?" Jesse asked.

"Roulette K-ok. A thing we used to play at college," Amy replied with a huge grin. "We choose the song. She'll only knows what song it is when she's up there."

Jesse was grinning, looking at that badass rock and roll girl striding up the stage and taking the mic. "Please tell me you chose something like One Direction. Or Barry Manilow," he begged.

"Eh. Too late for that," Amy said. "Come. You have to stand here." Amy was pulling him forward through the crowd, towards the front of the stage.

"Ladies and gents, we now have Beca singing..." the MC was now saying. "...oh, we have a karaoke roulette here. Good luck, Beca." Loud whoops and cheers were coming up from the crowd. CR and Stacie was already there in front when Amy barrelled through with Jesse in tow; all of them squashed up by the front of the stage now.

Beca was making a face at her friends.

There was an expectant hush as the first notes of the song came through the speakers and the words came into the screen. Amy, Stacie and CR were laughing hard now. Harder still when Beca's face slid into horror as she silently mouthed "No!" But Beca had to quickly recover and launched into the song.

_I threw a wish in the well_  
_(Amy, I'm going to kill you) ...never tell_  
_I look to you as I fell_  
_And now you're in my way_

The crowd was now jumping and cheering. Jesse was staring up at Beca, looking mutinous as she sang the second verse. The girls were laughing so hard in between singing snatches of the song. He had to laugh. She was looking a little resigned to the song choice now.

_I'd trade my soul for a wish,_  
_(Amy!) - for a kiss_  
_I wasn't looking for this,_  
_But now you're in my way_

But then she stared straight down at him with a half smile and a knowing look.

_Your stare was holdin',_  
_Ripped jeans, skin was showin'_  
_Hot night, wind was blowin'_  
_Where do you think you're going, baby?_

And she belted it out.

_Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy,_  
_But here's my number, so call me, maybe_  
_It's hard to look right at you, baby_  
_But here's my number so call me, maybe_

She was giving all she's got. The crowd responded, singing out the song, jumping in time to the music and despite himself, Jesse found himself singing and dancing along. It was infectious.

_Before you came into my life_  
_I missed you so bad, I missed you so bad_  
_I missed you so, so bad_

The applause that came when she finally finished was deafening. Beca placed the mic back and jumped off the stage, straight into her friends who squealed as they caught her.

"You! I am going to kill you, Amy," Beca bellowed, holding the blonde's face in between her hands.

"Eh. You love me really," said the blonde. "CR, it's Stacie's turn next. Come on, I need your help to choose an appropriately embarrassing song."

"Where's Stacie?" Beca asked, noticing the statuesque brunette was nowhere near.

"Ummm... She was here just now." Amy said. "Ok. See you later."

The girls hastily made their exit and Beca was suddenly aware she was now alone with Jesse, who was looking at her with something akin to awe.

"That was amazing," Jesse piped up, eyes twinkling. "You were amazing! I didn't know you could sing."

"There's plenty you don't know about me." Beca said, smiling.

"What?"

The noise had picked up again when someone else took the mic and the next song started. Beca tiptoed, bringing her mouth nearer to his ear. He leant down a little.

"I said there's plenty you don't know about me."

The crowd was getting ridiculous and she nearly toppled over when someone bumped into her. Jesse's arm shot out to steady her but even after she found her balance, his hand did not move from her waist.

"Yeah?" Jesse replied. "Maybe I can find out? Over coffee? I owe you two already."

He could feel her body shaking with laughter. His fingers felt the soft skin on her waist where her tshirt had ridden up. She was stretching up to speak into his ear again.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Ok," he said, not giving up. "I take that number then. Perhaps we can hang out sometime?"

"No. That was just a song."

"Just so you know, I won't take my time with the call. I'll call you, like straightaway."

She was still laughing, her breath puffing on his neck. She was flushed right against him now in that crowded space and when she stretched up to speak to him again, he could feel the softness of her breast brushing against him.

"Still no."

"What? Do you, like, say no to everything?" Jesse said, frowning down at her.

She was cracking up. "No."

He was shaking his head, trying to figure out this rather enchanting brunette he was holding in his arm. She was smiling up at him.

"It very much depends on the question," she spoke into his ear.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she whispered back. "Like if you asked me whether I want to get out of here, I'll say yes."

* * *

They were hardly out of the side door. He had asked and she said yes and minutes later, they were heading towards the exit, spilling out into the dark alley, arms already entangled, lips locked into messy kisses. She broke the kiss and pulled his hand down towards the exit but he pulled her back, trapping her in his arms again as he kissed her ferociously. She tasted of tequila and coffee and Jesse could not get enough. He was backing her up against the wall and she was moaning into the kiss.

"One for the road," he mumbled into her neck, biting into the sensitive skin. She was running her hands all over his sides, pulling his shirt out and slipping her hands in. Jesse groaned at the touch of her hot hands gliding on his skin, His hands was already underneath her shirt, questing for that creamy, soft breasts he had imagined earlier. His hands found them - so firm, yet soft. So heavy yet so pliant. Then he swiped the nubs of her hardened nipples and the moan coming out of her made his knees weak.

He pushed her up higher against that brick wall, wanting to taste that incredible soft flesh he held in his hands just now. Beca wrapped her legs round his waist, leaning back, gasping against the wall. Her tshirt was roughly pushed up and she looked down at the incredibly sexy sight of his dark head bent over her breasts, his mouth feasting on one hard nipple after another.

It must be because she had not done this for some time. It must have been the alcohol but the way his mouth was pulling mercilessly at her nipples, hands squeezing her breasts, the way he was pressing her against this wall, Beca suddenly felt herself building towards the peak.

"Don't stop," she gasped, her fingers threading through his brown locks.

He was biting now, small bites with a bit of teeth and Beca felt that urgent tugging in her loins. And when he swiped his soft tongue to soothe the bites on her nipples, Beca yelled out loud. Her eyes rolled back, her body shuddered and spasmed. She could only held on tight as she rode that short, sharp orgasm.

And when that petered out, Beca opened her eyes, a little flustered at her reaction. He was looking up at her in wonder. "Did you just came?" he said, his voice rough. When she nodded, he stared at her, eyes dilated. "That was so fucking hot." He went back to kissing her hard, mouth roving on her neck and chest. Beca wanted nothing more than to feel him now.

"Your turn. Let me down."

He nodded, settling her onto the ground. It was his turn to be pressed against the wall as she kissed and bit his neck. Her supple fingers found his belt buckle and within seconds, his belt and fly was undone, her hand slipping in, closing around his hardness.

Her hand was soft yet glided with some firmness over the head of his dick, teasing that sensitive spot along his shaft. She was stroking along his entire shaft now, finger and thumb catching on the head at each downward stroke. Jesse closed his eyes, groaning, wondering how long he could last.

"Hey,'" she said softly. Jesse opened her eyes and then watched as she locked eyes with him and slowly licked the palm of her hand before stroking him again. And he shuddered under her hand, now slick with her saliva.

His mind was in a complete haze.

Then he heard it. His phone ringing. And rang. And rang.

Beca removed her hand but tried to move away but he grabbed her back. "No, ignore that." He rasped urgently, pulling her hand back. She nodded and continued the amazing thing she did with her hand, her mouth latching on his neck and Jesse groaned hard.

And his stupid phone had to ring again.

He reached for his phone, intending to shut it off until he saw the caller ID.

"I'm so sorry. I have to take this," Jesse said regretfully. He was fully expecting her to step away in a huff but she was smiling a little evil smile at him instead. And she knelt in front of him.

"Oh my god," he stuttered out as soon as her hands freed his hardness and her mouth closed over it. He closed his eyes in ecstasy, feeling the soft wetness of her mouth, sucking hard, moving up and down along his shaft, her hand twisting gently at the base. His hand on her cheek, fingers tangled in her hair. He was about to clutch at her head to guide her speed with his other hand when he realised he was still holding on to his phone and it was still ringing.

He answered the call. "Yeah?"

"Jesse, where are you?" Aubrey's voice came through.

"Umm..." He started before muttering "oh god, fuck!" under his breath because she was speeding up. He could feel the sensitive area underneath his shaft gliding along the soft bed of her tongue.

"Jesse! Are you still there?"

"Umm..yeah. I'm at the bar nearby."

"You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago."

"What?" Jesse replied hazily. He could not think straight. Between feeling the rough wall behind him, in this dark alley, having his dick sucked off by the sexiest girl alive and trying to stay coherent on the phone, it was without a doubt, the most exciting sexual experience he had in a long time.

And fuck, he could himself hitting the back of her throat.

"Jesse! What's happening?"

"Umm..I'm.." He tried. God, he's not going to last much longer. "I'm coming... Gimme.. gimme ten minutes."

She was relentless on his dick. And he was trying to stifle this groan coming out.

"You'll be here in ten?" Aubrey demanded.

"Yes, I'll... I'll come up to RUNWAY," he breathed out with whatever control he had. "See you soon, Aubrey."

Jesse ended the call and dropped his phone, not caring where it landed. He couldn't stifle that groan anymore. Both his hands clutched desperately at her head. "Don't stop, baby. I'm so close."

But she stopped. And stood up.

Jesse blinked with confusion. Why did she stop? That was amazing and he was so close. She was standing apart, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and staring at him.

"Baby, why did you stop?" he murmured huskily, trying to pull her back against him.

"Was that Aubrey?" she said, her eyes hard as flint. "Was that Aubrey Posen?"

Then it hit him like a tonne of bricks. Why the hell did he mentioned another girl's name when he was getting the most incredible blowjob of his life?

"No, Beca. It's not like that," he stammered.

"Sorry. I can't do this." She was backing and turning away now.

"Beca, wait."

She was walking away far too quickly. Jesse straightened up, intending to run after her.

"Beca, please wait."

He then realised his phone was somewhere on the ground and his goods were still hanging out. Jesse quickly tucked himself in as best as he could. She was already at the end of the alley onto the street.

"Beca!" He shouted after her, hastily zipping up without looking. The next moment, a piercing cry echoed in the alley. "OWWWWW!"

* * *

**AN :** _Call me maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. And I just noticed at 0.14 in the music video, it shows a book on a table and the title was "Skylar's..." Heeheehee._

_**Thank you for all your follows and reviews.** I'm sorry I have not answered them yet -I was dying to get the two chapters out. High five to **99mimis** for guessing HOT for 408 and VLEP is of course for voice like ear porn. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_Ed Sheeran - ginger God or just plain annoying? Thinking out loud._

Beca quickly typed and posted the tweet as she walked into Decibel Monday morning. She smiled as the responding dings came through. Her legs brought her automatically to her desk as she busily read through the replies.

"Beca!"

Beca nearly dropped her phone.

"Jesus, Noah!" she scolded. Her boss was standing in front of her, hands on hips, looking decidedly not amused. Beca quickly slid her phone into her pocket.

"Why do you look so angry?" Beca scowled. "I am not even late today."

Noah harrumphed loudly. "Care to explain this?"

"Explain what?" she said.

"This!"

Noah stepped aside, sweeping his arm over Beca's desk. And she nearly choked.

Because it was covered with flowers. Of varying shape, size and colour. Tall ones, short ones, red ones, blue ones. And sunflowers. And orchids. Some sort of leafy fern thing. And is that a cactus? Beca looked at the horror which was her desk, getting more confused by the minute.

"Beca Mitchell? Delivery for Beca Mitchell?"

Beca turned slowly on her heels, almost afraid to look. A delivery man was standing at the doorway with the largest bunch of balloons known to man. Honestly, the bunch of balloons could audition for UP. Beca nodded weakly and the man came over, thrusting his delivery gadget over to her.

"Sign here please."

She signed.

"Thank you. Have a nice day."

Beca reluctantly took the balloons handed over to her and turned back to her desk. Noah looked like he was about to explode.

"What the hell, Mitchell? Tina had to spend the whole morning signing for all your deliveries," Noah began. "And let's not get started on Jim! He could hardly worked with all that sneezing." Beca looked over to Jim who was sitting as far away from her desk as possible, eyes red and streaming. "Allergies," he whimpered before going into an almighty sneeze.

"I dunno," Beca said crossly, letting go of the balloons which floated up to the ceiling. She pushed aside two floral arrangements and fired up her Mac.

"What does the message say? Does it not say who they are all from?" Noah asked.

Beca took a card out, read it and immediately crumpled it. There was no name. Just a one word message. And it was repeated for all the others. _**Sorry. Sorry. Sorry**_. Ok, the cactus had a different one. It said **_I'm a prick. I'm sorry_**. Beca would have laughed if she had not been so pissed off

"Don't worry. I'll get rid of all these," she said, opening up her email. Beca nearly swore out loud. What? How many emails? Besides the usual work ones, one email address kept repeating itself. She scrolled down and counted at least ten. All from a certain Jesse Swanson.

"Beca, are you in some sort of trouble?" Noah was now saying, a little gently this time. He was looking down at her, worriedly. "Have you been writing to prison inmates again?"

"That was just that one time, Noah. And it was research," Beca groaned. She immediately selected the emails and pressed delete without opening them. Beca looked up solemnly at her editor and said, without hesitation." Don't worry. I've got this."

* * *

**At Beale's Dance Academy**

Chloe Beale was a little worried about her room mate. The redhead dance teacher was standing by the barre, watching her students working through their routine but her mind kept jumping back to Beca. Friday night was a little strange. She had received texts from Stacie, Amy and CR all night long and had been a little giddy with excitement.

_Red, B is SO getting laid!_

_B is singing and drunk._

_Hottie man candy can't take eyes off her chest_

_They left. Can't keep hands off each other!_

_Don't barge in, like you do, Red. They WILL get nasty tonight._

So she had purposely stayed out of the way. She literally shot into her room and stayed inside when she heard the door opening. Even when she thought she could hear Beca stumbling and cursing and Snowball mewing, Chloe still stayed inside. She was dying to see that hot man candy in the flesh, of course. Those photos from Amy were really hot. But Beca needed this and Chloe was not going to cramp her style.

It sounded strangely quiet and Chloe silently opened her bedroom door and tiptoed out of her room. She discreetly put her ear to Beca's door. Not that she was some sort of sick voyeur. Just, you know...checking. It was oddly quiet. Chloe had been Beca's room mate for years and she knew Beca was not the silent type. Most of the time, she would have some music playing so this silence was very, very odd. And Chloe thought she could hear her snoring.

The dance routine and music from the sound system came to an end and Chloe bent down to shuffle the song again. "Right! From the top." Chloe barked out to her students. Some of them were groaning a little and Chloe fixed her blue eyes sternly on them. "Come on. From the top again. 5, 6, 7, 8!"

Chloe leant against the barre again, watching her students with an eagle eye. _So, perhaps the hook-up did not work - _Chloe thought - _But usually Beca had the good humour to laugh about it and tell me the next day_. It was a little strange that she had absolutely refused to talk about it and Chloe did not get any more details from the girls.

Her phone beeped and Chloe quickly opened the message.

It was from Amy and there was a photo attached.

Chloe took a deep breath, her finger hovering over the download button. Sometimes the pictures Amy sent can be quite eye-watering. She exhaled slowly and pressed download. What she saw made Chloe's eyes widened and immediately she pressed the call button.

"Amy! What the hell is that?"

* * *

**H&amp;H Building**

He was so stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!

And a prick.

Why did he picked up that call? Why the hell did he say Aubrey's name out loud?

Jesse Swanson scrolled through his emails. Maybe if he stare long enough that email he had been waiting for would pinged through. No. No such luck. He had sent so many. On Saturday. Sunday and just this morning. He knew he was perhaps in creepy stalker territory now. Thank goodness he didn't have her number or he would have been more pathetic. Leaving one sorry message after another.

He nearly bought out the nearby florist too.

Still not a word from her and he knew what she did with all his well-intended, grovelling flowers.

They were now decorating Amy's reception desk at Harris &amp; Harris. He had also overheard Amy loudly saying to a curious member of staff that the flowers were from a secret admirer who was SO in love with her after seeing her operate a puppet in Avenue Q. Jesse was sure Amy was hollering it out loud for his benefit.

She rejected everything. Except for the cactus. Jesse didn't see the cactus at reception. Perhaps she decided to keep that one to remind her what a prick he was.

He was just so stupid.

"Jesse."

He looked up.

"Hey baby," Jesse said in way of greeting.

Aubrey Posen, long time PA to Cassandra Harris, stood in front of him. Leggy, blonde and perfectly turned out. The Chanel suit was a little severe but with her perfectly coiffed blonde hair and immaculate make-up, it suited her. She came over to him in three strides and bent over to give him a kiss on each cheek.

"I'm sorry about Friday." Jesse started.

"It's fine. I thought you sounded a little strange on the phone," Aubrey replied. She perched herself on his desk. "Why didn't you tell me you had to go to ER?" Aubrey continued. " What happened? It must have been serious. I could have come down and taken care of it."

Jesse winced a little, uncomfortably reminded of the incident on Friday night.

"No, it was fine. I just panicked a little," he answered. "It was nothing, really."

Aubrey regarded the dark-haired man in front of her. He had been acting a little strange, a little distracted lately and Aubrey's mouth twisted a little. Jesse Swanson was no saint. Perhaps it was a mistake. This place was crawling with so many attractive women and given his track record...

Aubrey stopped her train of thought and took a deep breath. The last thing she wanted was to vomit her lunch again. Her stomach was rumbling as it was already.

"Is everything ok?" she said.

"Yes. Why?" He was frowning up at her.

"Nothing," Aubrey said blandly. She bent over to pick at a non-existent thread on the hem of her skirt. "You are behaving, aren't you?" she whispered.

Jesse Swanson smiled his trademark playful smile at the blonde.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"

Aubrey straightened up, satisfied. "Good. Because if you don't, I will hear about it, Jesse."

"Everything is fine, baby," Jesse replied, placing his hand on her knee and giving it a squeeze. Aubrey looked down at his hand on her knee. He was at a temporary hot desk in an open plan office and she was aware eyes were watching. Aubrey made a mental note to move him to a private office as soon as possible. It would be much easier.

A loud ping came from his laptop and Jesse glanced at his screen. "Umm...I've got some work to do. I'll catch you later?"

* * *

**H&amp;H Reception**

Amy was laughing a little, listening to Chloe's squealing over the phone. She had just sent her a pic of the reception desk festooned with flowers meant for Beca and now the redhead was eagerly pumping her for details.

"Hang on, Red. Let me get Stacie on the line," the blonde said, tapping Stacie's extension. "Hullo, you there, Stace? I've got Chloe."

"Eeeeeepp! So what the hell happened Friday? She came back alone," Chloe squealed over the line. "I thought it was a sure thing?"

"You should have seen them, Chlo," Stacie's voice came over. "They were sucking face before they could even go out of the side door. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't just fuck her against the wall outside."

"That hot?"

"That hot," Amy agreed. "Like Aussie summer hot. And that is pretty hot."

"So what happened?" Chloe said. "Did he have like a weird dick or something? She refused to talk about it and now all the flowers? My god, the flowers!"

"I'm starting my own florist business. I give you both mates rates." Amy said.

"Maybe he's Quick Draw McGraw?" Stacie was saying now. "Hmm. Shame."

"Amy, go do some digging," Chloe said. "I'll do the same tonight. She cannot NOT spill if I ply her with Thai food and beer."

"Ok, she should be up in the next minute, " Amy said. "She booked Room 2 for a quick meeting...oh here she is. What the hell?"

"What?" Chloe and Stacie both choruses simultaneously.

"Umm.. Chloe? " Amy sounded uncertain now. "You guys haven't adopted any puppies, by any chance, have you?"

* * *

He hurried down as soon as he read that email and got rid of Aubrey. The email was concise.

**Meet me in Room 2 now!**

Jesse stepped off the elevator, went through the glass doors and quickly walked past Amy, trying not to meet her eye. His ears were burning. He was sure Amy was staring at him from the makeshift garden of flowers she was sitting in the middle of. He stopped for a moment in front of the door, taking a deep breath and running his hand through his hair. He knocked twice and opened the door, all the while repeating silently to himself.

_Ok. Play it cool. Play it cool._

_Play it cool._

_Play it... Oh fuck, she looks perfect._

She was standing at the other end of the table, arms across her fabulous chest, foot tapping impatiently. Her hair was in a heavy braid to one side and he could not help running his eyes from the oversized blue top she was wearing that outlined every curve down to the tight skinny jeans that hugged her hips like a second skin.

"Puppies? You sent me puppies?!"

She was literally barking at him but it took him a few moments to snap to his senses.

"What?" Jesse said blearily.

Beca gestured to the basket on the conference table and Jesse remembered he had that ace up his sleeve. Two of the cutest Labrador puppies were yipping excitedly from a lined wicker basket, complete with a huge red velvet bow.

"Oh." Jesse replied, smiling. "I thought you'll like them."

She looked like she was going to throw something at him.

"This is not a joke! Are you crazy?" Beca ranted. "You can't just send puppies like candy! What if I can't take care of them? What if I don't want them? Are they going back to the shop? Are they going to the dog pound? Oh my god, I can't believe this! How could you be so irresponsible! They are not playthings - "

"Will you chill out?" Jesse said calmly. He walked over to the two overexcited puppies who were wagging their tails furiously. One nearly tumbled out of the basket in excitement. Jesse laughed and picked them both up.

"They are on loan. This is Maggie and this is Smith," Jesse said, introducing them to Beca in turn. "They belong to my friend, Jasper. He's waiting downstairs once you've done...you know, hugging them or something."

Beca was still eyeing him furiously.

"Do you want to hold them? They are very friendly." Jesse said. He was grinning. There was no way she could be angry with him now. Not when he holding two adorable puppies who were now licking his face and squirming excitedly in his arms.

Beca clears her throat and said snootily, "I'm a cat person."

"What? You don't like puppies?" Jesse almost shout that out in surprise. "How can you NOT like puppies? Not liking puppies is like...not liking movies."

"Well, guess what else I don't like?"

Jesse was staring at her, stupefied. Seriously? There is a person in this whole wide world who don't like movies AND puppies? How can that be?

"Can you just stop sending me all these crap?" Beca yelled.

Jesse put the puppies down gently into the basket and continued to pet them. "I just wanted to say sorry about Friday."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Beca huffed impatiently.

"There is," Jesse said solemnly. " I shouldn't have picked up the call. It was a dick move. I should've switch my phone off."

"I think it's more of a dick move to make out with a girl when you already have a girlfriend," Beca said. " FYI, I don't usually do other people's boyfriends. It's not my thing."

And there it was.

Jesse frowned at that. "Aubrey -"

Beca immediately covered her ears with her hands. "Dude, I don't want to hear it. No need to explain. I worked with Aubrey for a year and frankly, this is very awkward."

"But, what we did that night- "

" - was a mistake. I had a few. I wanted to get laid. You were there. That is all." Beca stated clearly.

Jesse stared at her. "Wow, ok."

"The less we talk about it, the better." Beca said, now going back to tapping her foot. A moment silence hung between them. Beca ran her hands through her hair in frustration.

"I..I think I should say sorry too," she finally spoke up. "For leaving you...you know...hanging. I heard you yelling out. I hope you were not too... umm hurt."

"I did have to go to ER."

"Oh," Beca stopped short. She recovered quickly. "Ok sorry for that."

He merely nodded.

"So we are even," Beca said in a business-like tone. "Let's just forget the whole thing."

"Ok."

Jesse was morosely looking down at the puppies, scratching Smith behind its ear. The little puppy was making cute snuffling sounds.

"I guess I better get them back to Jasper," Jesse said heavily. He picked up the basket and gave Beca a small smile. "I'll see you around."

Beca just nodded and he turned away, taking the basket with him. One of the puppies, the chocolate one, peeked its head out of the basket and woofed at Beca. And all she could think was how she already missed cuddling them and how the chocolate one was the same shade as his hair.

* * *

**At Chloe's and Beca' apartment, later on that night**

"I could not eat another bite!" Stacie complained, putting down her chopsticks.

"But you hardly touched your pad thai," Chloe said, pushing another prawn towards Stacie. "Here have some more." Stacie eyed the plump prawn, speared it with her chopstick and popped it into her mouth.

"If I can't fit into my Vivienne Westwood, it would all your fault, Chloe," Stacie said, chomping on the prawn with some relish.

"Dude...are they still doing the staff Christmas spread?" Beca said, frowning a little now.

"They do it every year, Beca. You know that," Stacie answered. "And this year, they are doing a big one for Decibel as well."

"What? Noooooooo!" Beca said in horror.

The stiff competition with MODE and RUNWAY goes deep, even to the annual Christmas issue. Every year, RUNWAY and MODE will compete for the best Christmas edition which usually included a behind-the-scenes article as well as a lavish photo spread of various staff in the magazines.

"Ugh. Last year's MODE cover of Fey Sommers in that sleigh." Beca said. "All that fake snow."

"Ssh! That was the last of it. She died in that freak car accident afterwards, don't you remember?" Stacie said. The three of them shuddered a little. Stacie went on. "As I was saying, they are going to do something similar for Decibel this year. Why are you pretending you don't know anything about this, Beca?"

Beca's answer was a grunt.

Stacie shook her head in despair, "Chloe, guess who is going to be the stylist for that shoot? And guess who's going to be the angel in the centrefold?"

Chloe looked between Stacie's excited face and Beca's thunderous one.

"Oh my god!" she squealed. "My flatmate's going to be a model! You didn't say anything, Becaaaaaa!"

"There's nothing to say. It's one of Noah's crazy ideas. He thinks we need to put faces to bylines and make the readers feel like they know us," Beca said, finishing her bottle of beer and opening a new one. "Personally I think we couldn't get any celebrities to do a feature."

"Oh shush. You get to write a feature and I think it's good Noah chose you. I mean, it could be Jim," Stacie said. She looked as if she could be a little sick. "Anyhoo, I have some ideas that I will run pass Noah."

Chloe glanced surreptitiously at Beca's second bottle.

"Becaaaaaa," Chloe whined. "You hardly tell me anything nowadays."

"What? It's just a photo shoot. Noah might pull it at the last minute," Beca answered. She took a swig of beer.

"No, you don't tell me anything anymore," Chloe insisted. "Like the fact you've pulled the office hottie on Friday."

Beca went into a coughing fit. And when she finally coughed up all the beer, Beca said,"Nope. Not going to tell you about that."

"But why?" Chloe continued with her bleating. "The girls told me it was a sure thing and it was so hot that he might just fuck you up against the wall outside."

Beca went into another coughing fit, face red and eyes bulging out. Stacie calmly took her phone out and texted Amy that she owe her a twenty.

"Stacie, what the hell did you tell Chloe?" Beca sputtered out once her coughing fit subsided.

"What happened, girl?" Stacie started. "You both were like dogs on heat in the bar. His arm was around you and you were whispering and giving him the Beca Mitchell sex eyes. He looked like he was about to eat you there and then. Then the next thing we know, all these flowers and balloons and puppies came to the office."

"Puppies?" Chloe's eyes could not get any bigger.

"Puppies." Stacie nodded, her eyes now firmly on Beca. "So what happened? Did he like come over your face or something? What was he apologising about?"

Beca rolled her eyes. "Umm.. technically, he didn't come."

Chloe and Stacie were gasping.

"Ok, so why is he so sorry then?" Chloe said, now far too curious to let it go.

Beca just scowled. "He's a dick, ok? Like in the history of dicks, he's like..up there with the biggest dicks in history. He's like Adolf dick or something."

"Come on, now. Jesse's really nice," Stacie said. "I can't believe such a nice guy can be such a dick.

"Yeah? Would a nice guy pick up a call from his _girlfriend_ when getting a blowjob from another girl?"

"WHAT?"

Beca nearly laughed out at the shocked expressions on both their faces. She should have taken a photo.

"And what more? His girlfriend is Aubrey. Aubrey Posen," Beca finished.

"That can't be," Stacie stuttered. "I am sure he's single."

"Yeah sure. He was all like _I'll see you in ten minutes, baby_ to Aubrey while I was giving him a blowjob," Beca said. She stopped, mulling about it for a moment. Ok. She's actually pretty mad. That dick.

"Ok, definitely NOT boyfriend material," Chloe said. "Definitely not good enough for you, Beca."

"Eh. Whose saying I am looking for a boyfriend?" Beca said. "I'm done with men. I'm doing hook-ups and fuck buddies from now on. Can't stand all those messy things."

"I'm all for that," Stacie said, fixing Beca with a penetrating stare. "As long as it is what you want, Becs."

* * *

**Author's Note** : _Happy New Year! Despite the horrible picture of someone's half naked in the hot tub I had to see (and can never unsee) this morning, I started 2015 like I meant to go on. I've been writing this chapter since this morning. Just a bit of filler before they get to the Jeca Shmexy times._

Shoutouts to** Wheresmywings** \- love the puns, girl. Keep them coming

**Pitchedperfectly93** \- thank you for joining the party. Love that song reference

**Abbe** \- I don't think it would stretch to 30 chaps but I've been known to start writing a 3-shot and ended up with 18 chapters and a sequel

**Laughterofguns** \- always love your reviews darling and thank you for reading this.

**Jessiceyip** \- Thank you my darling!

... and the rest of the **Jeca fandom on Twitter**, you know who you are. Thank you and I love you all muchly.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN : FromtheheartofaFan**, _here you are, my darling. Hey all, I am sorry here Jesse is definitely not the nice boy we know. He is a bit OOC so don't hate me too much_

* * *

**Chapter five - The one with the one night stands**

**Somewhere in Manhattan**

Jesse opened his eyes slowly. His head was still heavy with sleep but his body clock had always been reliable and Jesse knew it was time to get up. Especially when he realised where he was.

He gingerly extracted his arm from under the sleeping blonde. He was an old hand at this and the girl only grunted a little before rolling over to the other side and going back to sleep. Jesse breathed a little easier and quietly got out of the bed, careful not to make a sound.

He grabbed his underwear which were tossed to one side and quickly put them on. His trousers next, checking he still had his wallet and keys. And then his shirt. Where was his tie? How did it ended up on top of that picture? He tiptoed a little to reach his tie and nearly lose his balance. He had to steady himself against the side drawer. The alarm clock wobbled and then went crashing down.

"Jesse?" the blonde said sleepily.

Jesse quickly bent down to pick up the clock, cursing a little under his breath. He was hoping for a quick getaway. He put the clock back to where it was before bringing his face closer to the dozing blonde.

"Hey," he cooed softly. "It's still early. Go back to sleep."

The blonde - what was her name? Bethany? Britney? He was not entirely sure - smiled sleepily, reaching out for him. "Come back to bed."

"I can't, baby," he whispered. It was easiest just to call them all 'baby'. He gently untangled her arm from his neck. "I've gotta go. "  
The blonde was trying to pout cutely but she was far too sleepy.

"I had a fun time last night. Thanks for that," Jesse whispered. She nodded and buried her face into her pillow. Jesse waited for a few minutes until he was sure she was fast asleep before picking his way out of her room.

He found his shoes under a chair and his jacket hanging over a giant teddy bear. Jesse decided to put his shoes on outside. He didn't think he could stay another minute in that room. The blonde had seemed sophisticated at the bar and they had gone back to her place. On seeing the huge soft toys collection in her room, Jesse nearly bolted. But it was already really late and she was all over him so he stayed. It was very surreal banging a chick with hundreds of plastic eyes silently judging him and frankly, it put him off his game a little. Not an experience he'd want repeating.

Jesse glanced at his watch.

6.00 am.

Plenty of time to get home and change.

* * *

**Same time, yet another part of Manhattan**

Beca was trying to remove this rather possessive hand from clutching at her boob. God, how could a guy held on so tight to her boob even when asleep? She managed to pry it off finger by finger before wriggling herself free from the duvet and sliding gently off the bed. She stood up slowly, eyes peering in the half darkness for her things. Underwear? Check. Bra? Check. Clothes? Check. Shoes? Where's her shoes? Did she kick them off under the bed?

Beca was of two minds on whether she should rummage under the bed. You never know what you would find but she couldn't go home barefoot. She clenched her teeth and shot her arm under the bed and thankfully, she closed her hand on her shoes.

"Beca?"

Beca jerked her head up in surprise and hit her head against the bed. She cursed under her breath and got up slowly. He was sitting up on the bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Hey Ryan, sorry I woke you up," Beca said. "Trying to get my shoes."

"You going? What time is it?"

"Still early."

Ryan grunted a little.

"Do you want another round?" he asked, yawning in between.

"No, it's fine. I really gotta go," Beca said hurriedly putting on her clothes. He was still trying to wake up.

"I should make you breakfast," Ryan said sleepily. "Do you want breakfast?"

Beca shuddered at the thought, thinking of the pizza crusts, the tower of empty pizza boxes, cluttering the kitchen counter and the pile of unwashed dishes she saw last night.

"It's ok. I'll grab something on the way home," Beca said. He did look quite sexy half asleep though. Beca came over to his side of the bed. "Thanks for last night." He smiled, eyes half closed and Beca gave him a swift peck on his lips.

"I'm going now."

"Ok."

Beca closed the bedroom door softly behind her and tiptoed to the main door.

"Hey, you're leaving."

Beca froze in her tracks and turned around. A man, dressed only in sweat pants and sporting a beard and man bun, was grinning up to her while doing a yoga position in the middle of the room. _Oh god - _Beca remembered now. _The weird room mate. Ok. Do not engage in conversation. Just nod your head and quickly leave._ Beca inched slowly towards the door.

"Wow, you must be amazing in bed," the room mate continued conversationally, moving to another yoga position. "Haven't heard Ryan yelled out that much in months."

Ok. Awk-ward.

He straightened up and breathed out."I've got great core strength and very flexible," he was saying now, fixing Beca with what he thought was a smouldering stare. "You know, from all the yoga I do."

What? - Beca thought confusedly - what was that for?

"In case you want to hit this."

Wait. What was he saying?

"Tantric sex? Oh yeah."

The door flew opened and Ryan was standing by the doorway, buck naked and angry. "Damn it, Jake! Are you hitting on my score?" he was yelling. "Fuck, man! You always do that. That's why they'd never come back!"

Beca could not decide which was funnier. The room mate with the man bun hitting on her or the naked man by the doorway with his dick quivering in anger. They were yelling at each other now.

"Tantric sex? Dafuq you know about tantric sex! Or yoga. You just pretend to know the stuff!"

"That's my angle, dude! Just like you hanging round gigs, saying you're in a band, hoping to get laid ! I know your score! You don't even play the guitar!"

Beca quickly ran out of the door, trying to stifle her laugh. She could still hear them yelling as she put on her shoes in the corridor. Ryan was now threatening to stuff the yoga mat up Jake's ass and Beca nearly could not put on her shoes - she was doubling up laughing.

Ok, that was definitely something for the books.

* * *

He needed coffee.

And maybe a scone.

There was plenty of time for a quick detour before going home. The cafe was already doing a roaring trade this early and it took him five minutes in the queue before he could place his order. Jesse then shuffled to one side to wait for his coffee, munching on his scone.

Well, last night was alright.

Not bad. Not great either. Just alright.

In a series of alright one night stands he had lately.

Jesse sighed a little. He should stop this. If the sex was not going to be great, what's the point? He could not understand it. The girls were always good looking, had rocking bodies and always eager. It usually started out fun and yeah, he made sure he was considerate lover. But each encounter always turned out so...blah.

Blah. Blah. Worse than blah.

Not like that one time.

That hot, sizzling one time; barely tripping out of the door into the alley. Hot mouths and hands. Her mouth tasting of tequila and coffee. Her nipples hard in his mouth. Rough wall behind him, wet mouth on him. That had been hot. She had been fucking hot.

Who would have thought that chance meeting right outside this very coffee shop would have led to such a hot encounter? He could see her here. This very shop screamed Beca. From the slightly eccentric staff to the music they played to the unique, organic brew they did. Hell, Jesse could almost see her there, standing in the queue, foot tapping impatiently, waiting to place her order. She would order Venti triple shot hazelnut macchiato with soy milk. Something complicated like that.

Oh. My. God.

She's here.

She's actually here.

At 6.30 a.m in the morning.

She's actually here. In the queue. Placing her coffee order.

Jesse was only too aware how he looked. Yesterday's suit, five o'clock shadow, hair uncombed. Oh god, he couldn't let her see him do the walk of shame. That would just be too terrible. Jesse was wondering whether he should make a run for it. But no. The door was directly in her path; there was no way he could make a run for it without her seeing him. That plan would definitely not work.

Ok. Plan B. Stealth mode.

Maybe if he didn't make any sudden moves and stayed behind this fat lady, she might not noticed him.

Yeah. That would work.

She was moving to the waiting area, back towards him. She was busy looking at her phone, scrolling through the screen. Ok, Jesse, just remember no sudden moves. It's going to be alright. She didn't see you. She's busy and...my, she has such a nice ass. Why didn't he notice that before? Wait. He did. When she was in those jeans...

"Swanson! Mint mocha frappucino with extra choc chips and whipped cream for Swanson?"

Beca's head whipped round and at the moment, Jesse Swanson wished for a few things. One, that he has used his first name to order his coffee; that way he could pretend it was some girl's drink and not his. Two, that he had ordered a manly drink like a double espresso or something. Definitely without the extra chocolate chips and whipped cream. And three, Beca to be temporarily struck deaf and blind that very second or perhaps he could leap into a time and space continuum into another dimension.

"Hey man, your order's up."

The barista was waving that huge plastic cup at him and Jesse weakly nodded. He came over and took his drink, mumbling his thanks. When he turned around, she was staring straight at him.

"Hey, good morning!" Jesse said bravely. "I didn't see you there."

She was just staring with a blank expression on her face. Jesse was usually confident enough with himself. It was always stride of pride for him but that very moment, he truly understood that feeling of burgeoning shame and regret.

"Morning," she mumbled back, casting her eyes down. "Not expecting to see you here this early."

"Umm..yeah. Early start," Jesse blundered in. "What about you? Starting early too?"

She was fiddling with coat. Wait. Was she nervous?

"No. Umm..late finish," Beca said. "First the gig, then the after party, you know."

Jesse narrowed his eyes and then they widened in recognition. Messy hair, clothes looking a little rumpled, smudged make-up, hickeys on her neck. Hah! Late finish my ass!

"Beca, your flat white and blueberry muffin."

Beca walked past him to get her coffee. He should escape during that little lull but Jesse was not entirely sure what to do. She had picked up the drink and was looking surprised that he was still standing there. An awkward walk towards the door followed where Jesse courteously held the door open for her. Beca eyed the large frappucino in his hand suspiciously and Jesse held it tight. He could not chuck another drink down her again.

"So you heading to the office?" Beca said, sipping her coffee.

"Hmm? Yeah. Straight to the office," Jesse replied awkwardly. "You?"

"I just remember I got this thing..." Beca started. "Oh. I finished late! So I'm heading home. Heading home right now."

"Ok."

"Ok."

"See you later."

"Ok. See ya."

They nearly bumped into each other in the rush to get away and laughed out of embarrassment. Jesse pretended to walk towards H&amp;H before stopping round the corner. He peeked round, thought the coast was clear and doubled back.

"Oh hey, it's you again."

This could not be happening. Beca was in front of him yet again.

"You are going the wrong way," she was saying now.

"Ummmm...yeah, just got a call. Apartment's flooded," Jesse grabbed the nearest lie that came to his head. "Need to rush home now."

She was slowly checking out his stubble, his creased jacket, his rumpled shirt with no tie which he had shoved into his pocket, his lipstick stained collar and Beca nodded solemnly. "Ok, you'd better go."

"Hmm?"

"Your apartment's flooding." A smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Oh. Yeah. I'd better go."

"Ok."

"Ok."

And when they bumped into each other again during lunch time, in entirely different clothes and looking far more presentable, they pretended it was all rather normal actually. Yep, everything was normal. They did not just bumped into each other this morning from their one night stands. No. This morning? What this morning?

* * *

**RUNWAY Office, H&amp;H Building**

"Here's the schedule for London Fashion Week," Aubrey handed over a single sheet of white paper to Cassandra as they walked out of her office. Cassandra glanced through the neatly typed text, digesting the content before scrunching it up. Andy was already waiting with her Gucci coat and Birkin bag and Cassandra handed the scrunched up paper before taking the bag and coat from her, without a word she shrugged on her coat and continued walking.

"Donatella had sent you first row, as usual and use of her private jet," Aubrey continued, tapping off the list on her iPad whilst still keeping up with Cassandra's long strides. "What would like me to say?"

Cassandra sighed. "Darling Donna, I love her but she's no Gianni. I really miss him."

Aubrey nodded, immediately understanding what she should do. "The museum benefit is not until next month but I have a selection of gowns you might like to look at. Andy will bring them in at two pm."

They had passed the corridor and walking through RUNWAY open plan office now. Staff were now scurrying quietly, looking busy at work and studiously avoiding looking at Cassandra direct. The less they drew attention to themselves, be better. No one wanted to be the recipient of Cassandra Harris' infamous icy glare.

"Nigel would like your final word on the Christmas issue. He also said we should start thinking about the Spring trend" Aubrey continued, ticking off her list.

Cassandra mulled over that a little before replying, "We'll discuss that at the next editorial meeting. They are paid enough to come up with something. No pastels please. So unoriginal."

"Ok, I'll confirm the meeting. It would be after your trip to Paris" Aubrey said automatically. "The date of H&amp;H Christmas party is in your diary. The red Valentino?"

"Do I look like Santa Claus?" Cassandra said coldly and Aubrey gulped a little." The Schiaperelli please. The grey one."

They stepped into the elevator which was promptly emptied with profuse apologies. Cassandra did not acknowledge any of that. Aubrey stepped in quickly and shut the doors. The conference continued as the elevator rode down with Aubrey quickly ticking off her list and making more notes.

"Board of directors meeting on Friday, followed by dinner hosted by Mr. Harris Snr," Aubrey was saying now. "Cocktails at 7, followed by sit down. Mr. Harris expects you to stay overnight for golf in the morning."

Cassandra shuddered a little before nodding. The elevator pinged and the doors were opened. Aubrey frowned a little, ready to shut the doors again when they both saw who was walking in.

"Well, well. What a pleasant surprise!"

Wilhemina Slater, Creative Director of MODE stepped in, covered in fur with her PA Marc St. James. She smiled coldly at Cassandra. Cassandra's return smile was equally frozen and two millimetres less.

"Willy darling!" she called out, stepping forward for an air kiss. "You look fabulous. I swear you look not a day over 45. You have to tell me who you see."

If looks could kill.

"You don't need it yet, darling. You are far, far too young!" Wilhelmina responded. "How's that rascal, handsome uncle of yours? I think he's hiding from me."

"Oh, I am sure you'll see on Friday's meeting."

"Yes, of course," Wilhemina answered with a devilish grin. "Marc, I forgot to tell you. Please pack me an overnight bag for Friday. George Harris specifically said I should stay over. I don't even know why."

"Yes, Wilhemina," Marc said, officiously making notes on his iPad. "Should I pack the usual?"

"No. Slip in something special. The new maroon Rigby &amp; Peller corset will do nicely."

Cassandra's smile was still intact, her face serene, while Aubrey was eyeballing the smug look on Marc's face.

"Don't forget to bring your golf clubs, Willy," Cassandra said. "Uncle George likes to tee off early the next day. Usually around 6.30 a.m." The look on Wilhemina's face was priceless. Cassandra knew her golf game was poor and nothing Wilhemina loathed more than getting up at the crack of dawn, only to shiver in some stupid golf course playing a stupid game.

"I see you Friday," Cassandra said before stepping out of the elevator and walking onto the street to the waiting town car. It was not until Aubrey stepped in, closed the door and the car moved off that Cassandra Harris threw her bag across the seat.

"That whore!" She swore through gritted teeth. "That evil, conniving whore. I knew she wanted to sink her claws on Uncle George. Over my dead body!"

Aubrey kept quiet, slowly taking a bottle of San Pelligrino, opening the cap quietly and popping a straw inside. Cassandra was huffing a little, still annoyed but she gradually calmed down and put her hand out for her drink. She sipped it a little before handing it back to Aubrey and then sat back in her seat.

**Cassandra Harris. **

Tall. Brunette. Striking.

She did not get to where she was without hard work. It was not easy clawing her way to the top to be the youngest ever Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY. It was galling that people seemed to think just because she was George Harris Snr. niece, she got a free ride to the top.

Well, it helped a little.

She didn't have to slog right from the bottom but her vision and firm hand had kept RUNWAY where it was and since she had been at the helm for the last three years, RUNWAY had transformed from being an avant garde, slightly wacky fashion rag to a glossy magaizne and a credible contender to H&amp;H older publication, MODE.

And it did help that MODE was rocked by scandals in past few years.

First, Fey Sommers, the formidable EIC was killed in a freak motor accident. They had explicably bypass Wilhelmina. Cassandra knew Wilhelmina was still smarting at not being promoted to the new EIC of MODE. Instead, they made the clueless, philandering buffoon, Daniel Meade the new EIC instead. He could hardly keep his cock in his pants, let alone run a magazine. Now if his elder brother, Alex Meade was around, well... that might have been a different story. But Alex died in that mysterious ski accident.

So there you are, MODE's loss was RUNWAY's gain. RUNWAY just grew from strength to strength and here was Cassandra Harris, barely 30 and on top of her game.

"Would you like me to cancel your 4 o'clock and schedule in a massage instead?" Aubrey spoke quietly, trying to gauge Cassandra's mood.

"No, that would not be necessary."

Cassandra would not let that conniving bitch, Wilhelmina Slater, ruined her day. Good ol' Willy. So power hungry that she would do anything; including trying to trap her uncle into some sort of love affair. Her Uncle George had been a widow for years and had no offsprings. She was his nearest kin and by right, if that old dear were to pop his clogs, Cassandra Harris will be in line to succeed him as CEO of H&amp;H Corp. But her uncle had set old fashioned views about the whole thing.

Cassandra leaned back into the luxurious leather seat and stretched out a little.

"How is Jesse?" she murmured, closing her eyes and rubbing her neck slowly. "Is he settling in OK?"

"Yes," Aubrey replied. "He is getting on really well."

Cassandra smiled. "I knew it."

"I am not sure how to say this, Cassandra," Aubrey said, casting her eyes down to a non-existent spot on her Gucci skirt. "I think Jesse is not exactly... behaving."

To her surprise, Cassandra laughed out loud.

"Oh he is such a rogue! I love him," she said, looking far happier now. "I don't mind. As long as it is not at work. He can play all he wants, as long as it's not at H&amp;H."

Aubrey nodded, adding a mental note about that.

"Can you make sure he knows about Friday?" Cassandra said. "Send a car to pick him up for dinner and tell him to bring his overnight and clubs. Uncle George always love to have him on his team."

"Will do, Cassandra," Aubrey replied, making a note on her iPad.

"Now, let's talk about Spring."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Later on that night, at the bar**

"Dude, check it out. Someone's trying to pick up Terri."

"Terri? Someone's trying to pick up Tenacious Terri?" Beca nearly slopped her drink.

Bill was grinning down at her from across the bar, his eyes twinkling. Oh man, who was it trying to pick up Tenacious Terri? That girl was bat shit crazy. Most regulars knew to steer well clear from that basket case. Must be a new guy from out of town. Beca was about to turn to take a look at the unlucky guy when Bill shushed her, "Don't look!" He was also trying not to laugh. "It's your friend. The one who likes Appletinis."

Beca's jaw dropped. Very casually, she glanced over shoulder like she was checking the dance floor and she saw it. Jesse Swanson pulling out the stops. Smiling, laughing, eye crinkling at the blonde bombshell in a short skirt.

She nearly laughed out loud. Clearly the boy did not know what he was getting into.

"Should I go save him?" Beca said to Bill.

Bill looked thoughtful for a minute and shook his head, "Naaaaah. He's been on a pull lately that one."

Beca frowned a little.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Different girl every week."

That dick.

He had a girlfriend, for goodness sake.

"Gotta give it to him. He was not exactly begging." Bill said.

Beca nodded, taking another swig from her beer. Yeah, he didn't have to beg. He's not too bad on the eyes. Sweet smile, sweet dimples. He even looked kinda sexy with that stubble in the morning. Knew how to kiss. Definitely knew how to kiss. And from what she felt that time, she wouldn't mind checking out that body closer. Let's not even talk about the dick. The dick was nice. More than nice, in fact.

Whoa. Where was she going with this?

Beca shook herself out of her thoughts. No matter how hot he was, he was still a dick. And perhaps he needed to learn things the hard way. Like trying the pick up the worst basketcase tri-state.

Beca chewed her bottom lip, thinking. Could she let him? Well, yeah, he's all cocky and dishonest and cheating on his girlfriend but this was Terri, for goodness sake? And who was she to judge about him sleeping around? She, Beca Mitchell herself, had been indiscriminately hopping in and out strangers' beds lately.

Another glance at them and she saw the blonde leaning into him, giggling and nipping his earlobe and he looked like the cat that got the canary. He said something to the girl before making his way to the bar. What Jesse didn't see was the completely loopy look Terri threw at his back. A look Beca knew too well.

Ok, she had to at least warn him.

Beca waited until he had placed his order before sidling up to him.

"Hey."

Jesse turned round and smiled down at her. "Oh hey, Beca."

"How's it going?" Beca said, trying to think how should she approach this.

"Good." Jesse replied. "How 'bout you?"

"Fine. Everything's fine."

"Mmm. Ok."

"Ok."

They stood in silence for a minute, running out of things to say. The bartender came over with Jesse's drinks and he was about to leave when Beca blurted out, "We should get coffee sometime!"

She immediately regretted it.

Because he was staring at her like she just got out of the loony farm. Then he grinned.

"Beca, are you jealous?" Jesse said.

"What? No! What the hell are you talking about?"

What the hell? She was not jealous. Nope.

"Well...I got a hot blonde draping herself, going all squidy over me and now suddenly you asking me out?"

"I'm not asking you out."

"You totally are," Jesse said confidently. "Don't worry, baby. There's plenty of me to go round."

Beca then realised perhaps Jesse was not exactly sober.

"Dude, I'm just trying to warn you about Terri," Beca confessed, going straight to the point. "You wanna run, boy. That girl is a Stage 5 clinger."

"What? What's a Stage 5... Never mind, you're just saying that." His eyes were a little glassy now. "Beca, don't pout, honey. I still think you are freaking hot."

Wait. Was he hitting on her while still getting in on with Terri over there and still has a girlfriend? If there was a prize for Ultimate Dick, we have a winner right here. And for him telling her not to pout over him? Well, he deserved the night with Terri for that comment alone.

"Hey baby...what took you so long with the drinks?" Terri was now pressed into Jesse's side, speaking in a cutesy voice and playing with his hair. "Terri got so wonewy without you. Terri thought you disapee'er and left poor Terri awone."

Oh boy, he must really be drunk.

"I'm just talking to a friend."

"Oh?" Terri said. "Terri hopes fwen was not twying to take you away from Terri. Because you're a cutie-pie and Terri would be soooo sad. Because if they do, Terri would hunt them down and skin them alive and burn them in their houses."

The last sentence was delivered with a hard look at Beca who nearly choked on her drink. Seriously? He was oblivious to that? Ok. Dude totally got what he deserved. Beca backed off quickly and returned to the bar.

She tried. She really did.

And dude was being all smarmy and cocky.

Total dick.

"Bill, another one," Beca called out. She'll finish this one and go home. It was not fun drinking alone. A few guys were already sizing her up and she was not in mood. More cutesy giggles erupted from Terri; Beca could hear that. And from the corner of her eye, she saw them leaving. Beca snorted, taking another swig of her beer.

Yeah. Whatever.

She was not totally jealous.

Nope.

Like at all.

* * *

**The next morning  
**  
_Are we really bothered about R Kelly new single? #yawn  
_  
Beca sent the tweet and slid her phone into her bag. The parody account was taking off and Beca was really pleased with that. Gave her an outlet to let off steam. The followers were jumping daily and the account had a mention in Buzzfeed. No one knew the ID though and she wanted to keep it that way. Beca knew she would be in big trouble if H&amp;H got wind of it.

Right, busy day today. Three articles to write - a short review on the latest R Kelly album, coverage on that new up and coming band and a longer opinion piece she couldn't wait to get started on.

Yep, plenty to get cracking on today.

Just as soon as she got her coffee and muffin.

Beca mentally ticked off her to do list, oblivious to the crowd in the cafe. The music coming out her buds shut everything out. That was the way she liked it. When she had many things to sort out in her mind, Beca liked nothing better than to lose herself to music, letting her mind free. Which was why she didn't hear the man sidling up to her.

"Psst! Beca."

Hmm, this bit of the track was her particular favourite. She loved that change in tempo.

"Beca."

Gnomes? Maybe she should write something about gnomes? Gnomes are fun.

"Beca.."

A hand was placed on her arm and Beca jumped a foot. Beca furiously ripped her earbuds off. "What the fuck, dude? " Beca yelled. The noise in the cafe suddenly dropped down a notch. Some strange man in weird clothes had (ugh!) touched her and managed to frighten her half to death. He was standing far too close. He's better not touch her again; Beca was so ready to hit him with her bag.

"Beca, it's me," the man was now saying.

"Back off, nut job!"

But when he removed his floppy hat, Beca was gobsmacked.

"Jesse?"

"Yeah, it's me." Jesse confirmed.

"Beca, you ok?" One of the staff was calling out to her. "Is that man bothering you?"

Beca's heart was still hammering but she managed to turn round and said, "No, it's ok. I'm fine."

The staff looked at Jesse suspiciously. "You sure?"

"Yeah. It's fine."

Beca quickly pulled Jesse to one side. "Dude, what the hell happened to you?"

She took in the large coat Jesse as wearing, buttoned up to his chin, mismatched trousers that really looked like female yoga pants a few inches far too short and he was wearing flip flops in this cold. He also never looked more miserable.

"You've got to help me!" he implored.

"Why are you dressed like this?"

"It's Terri."

Terri? OH! Terri.

"She's crazy!" Jesse whisper-yelled urgently. "I think I am lucky to escape in one piece."

A smile was tugging hard at the corners of her mouth. She did warned him.

"What happened?"

"We went back to her place - " Jesse started.

"- Yep, as you do - " Beca interrupted in a mocking tone. Jesse just gave her a sour look.

"Ok, we did," he continued, exasperated. "I woke up early to leave at about six. Need to get to work and all that. But she was awake before me. That had never happened, ok?"

"So what's the problem?" Beca said. "Maybe she wanted seconds."

"She hid everything!"

Beca cocked her head to one side, frowning. "I don't get it."

"She hid everything," Jesse repeated. "My clothes, my shoes, my wallet, house keys, phone. Everything."

He was hoping for some sympathy, or at least some understanding of his predicament but no, what he got instead from Beca Mitchell, the only person could help him right now, was a loud belly laugh. Here he was shivering in his makeshift clothes, asking for help and there she was holding on to her sides laughing.

Fine.

It took her several minutes before finally hiccupping to a stop.

"Ok, ok. So Crazy Terri hid everything," she said. "I don't understand why don't you just ask for them back."

"I tried!" Jesse answered. "I wanted to but she was in the kitchen speaking to her mom."

"And?"

"They were picking wedding dates and our children's names already!"

Another loud laugh erupted from her. She was now holding on to Jesse for support. He was not looking very amused.

"So you immediately ran out?" Beca said in between snorts of laughter.

"She might have chloroform and duct tape ready!" Jesse hotly said. "I was not going to hang around and find out."

"Is that why you are dressed like that?" Beca said, gesturing to his unusual get-up.

Jesse nodded. "Managed to grab my coat and errm...this pair of pants."

Beca had tears in her eyes now. "So..you are now commando in Terri's yoga pants?"

Jesse refused to answer that. The expression on his face was enough.

"So are you going to help me or not?" He whisper-yelled instead.

She tried to stop laughing. She did. But everytime Beca took a look at Jesse, it came back again with a vengeance. It was not another five minutes before she could stop laughing hard enough to pull him out of the cafe. People were starting to stare.

"Why don't you call Benji..." Beca said. "Oh, no phone. Ok, how did you end up here?"

"I got about $10 in my coat pocket," Jesse said. He looked a little embarrassed now. "And I..sorta know you'll be here at this time. So here I am."

"Ok." Beca said. She was still giggling a little but at least, she looked a little more serious. "What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know. Help me!" Jesse said, nearly hysterical now. "I can't go home and I can't turn up at work like this."

"Fine. Let's go back to Terri's and get your things." Beca suggested.

"Are you insane? She might have manacles ready for me in the her slave dungeon by now!"

"Oh my god! Can you calm down?" Beca said, wafting her hands at Jesse. She was trying to think. "My place is not that far. Are you ok to walk in those (_she started sniggering_) flip flops? Aren't you cold?"

"I'll survive." Jesse said, rolling his eyes now.

Beca nodded and they fell into step walking the three blocks back to her apartment. Beca glanced at her watch. Chloe would have left by now so the coast would be clear. She didn't think she would be up to long explanations why she picked up a hobo at this hour in the morning. She was still trying not to laugh out loud. Jesse looked miserable as it was already.

"Mmm..you might want to stand back a bit," Beca warned him when they were in front of her door. "Snowball is quite territorial. You might get attacked."

"You've got a guard cat?' Jesse said.

"Eh. A girl can't be too careful," Beca said, again trying not to laugh. "Too many weirdos around."

She unlocked the various locks on the door and inched the door opened. A loud meow greeted them and immediately a furball streaked out, hissing and caterwauling. Great, now Jesse's being attacked - Beca thought. She was ready to haul her fat, crazy cat away from doing lasting damage to that miserable man when she found said crazy, territorial cat purring and rubbing himself against Jesse's leg.

"Aww, I think he likes me," Jesse said, bending over to pick up the cat. Beca narrowed her eyes at Snowball who was now happily ensconced in Jesse's arms.

Traitor.

She went into the apartment and Jesse followed suit. "Stay here," she ordered before making her way to her bedroom.

Jesse looked around the apartment with interest. So this is where she stays. It was pretty cute. Not particularly polished or stylish but there was a certain coziness to the place. The furniture was a mish mash - there was squashsy sofas covered with colourful cushions and throws and a distressed coffee table. Jesse looked appreciatively at the home entertain system. The furniture might looked battered but the sound system was definitely high tech. There was an upright piano against one wall. Books and music were stuffed higgeley piggedly into shelves, framed posters decorated the walls and there were a lot of photos.

Jesse continued stroking Snowball's back as he looked closer at the photographs. He recognised Stacie and Amy in some of them and there were plenty of photos of Beca and a redhead. There was a few photos of the four of them in some sort of flight attendant uniform. Beca was a flight stewardess? More photos of Beca as a kid. Jesse had to smile seeing a much younger Beca grinning toothily with braces on, arm around a taller boy with the same hair and eyes.

"Do you want to wash up?" Jesse straightened up and turned to Beca. She was holding a towel and a spare toothbrush out to him and pointing towards what he understood to be the bathroom. "I think I might have some spare clothes so if you want - "

"Thanks," he said, letting Snowball down before taking what was offered to him. When he came back, face washed, hair wet and slicked back and chest bare, Beca cleared her throat a little before waving her hand at the direction of the sofa.

"I found some stuff," she mumbled, trying not to stare at his abs. Her eyes slid lower instead. Ok, it should be funny that he was still wearing those yoga pants but he was commando in that. And damn, that soft material did cling.

Jesse was already too busy rifling through the clothes to notice her staring. He pulled on a Red Hot Chilli Pepper tshirt, his muscles rippling and again Beca quickly found something else to look at. "Do you always have spare men's clothes in your apartment?" Jesse said, shaking out a pair of jeans. There was a shirt, boxers, even a pair of socks and trainers. Beca was silent for a little a while before replying, "No. Just some of my ex's stuff. Keep wanting to send them off to Goodwill."

_Great. Good job with that foot in mouth disease, Jesse. _"Umm..I'm going to change into these," he mumbled, going back to the bathroom. The jeans was a little loose at the waist but at least it somewhat fitted and it was warm. Jesse was not too thrilled wearing another man's boxers, even though they were laundered but anything was better than those yoga pants. He was glad to get rid of it.

He had panicked. He had woke up alone in Terri's bed and had groped around looking for his things. He was sure they were in a pile by the bed; Jesse was experienced enough with one night stands to make sure of that. But everything was gone. Then he had gone looking for Terri only to overheard that conversation. If Jesse was being truthful, he could have stayed and demanded for his stuff back. He was a grown man, for goodness sake. But he just panicked, bolting with anything he could grab.

It was just stupid.

He came back to find Beca in the tiny kitchen, talking on her phone.

"Bill? Yeah, it's me...I know it's too early for you, sorry dude, but I got an emergency," Beca said. She glanced over at Jesse. "I need help with Terri. Yeah. Yeah, he did." Beca was grinning now and Jesse just knew they were laughing about him. "Yup, she took all his stuff. Listen, can you pop down and get his things? Please?!"

Jesse was waving his hands excitedly, mouthing to Beca, "Tell him if he gets my stuff, I owe him a drink! A big one!"

Beca frowned at Jesse and spoke into the phone, "Bill, get his stuff back and he'll get you tickets to the Knicks."

"What?" Jesse whisper-yelled. "That's not what I said!"

"Hang on, Bill..." Beca covered her phone and whispered fiercely to Jesse, "Bill works in a bar! He doesn't need a drink. He stays in the same building as Terri and can get your stuff back. So if you want them back, I suggest you get him those tickets. You can afford it."

What choice did he have?

"Okay!" Jesse relented.

"Court side! He likes the cheerleaders."

Jesse nodded, rolling his eyes.

"Ok Bill, I'll make sure he's good for it. Owe you one, man."

Beca ended the call and stared at Jesse.

"I can't believe how stingy you are! A drink? Jeez!" Beca scolded him.

"Ok. Ok." Jesse conceded. "I'm good for those tickets."

Beca was already pulling cereal out of the cupboard and milk from the fridge. "Sit down and have some breakfast," she said. Jesse sat on the nearest chair and Snowball, who was lying in his basket, climbed up to his lap and started purring. Beca was a little annoyed at her cat. He was usually quite snooty to strangers. What gives? She watched Jesse eat, sipping her tea slowly.

"You totally deserved it, you know," Beca spoke up cattily.

"What?" Jesse spluttered, almost choking on his cereal. "How? How could I deserve it? That woman is completely nuts."

"I did warned you last night," Beca said smugly. "Told you she's a Stage 5 clinger. But you were like _whatever, baby, don't be jealous. Plenty of me to go round_."

Jesse dropped his spoon in surprise and it went clattering into the bowl.

"Fuck! Did I say that?" he groaned out loud, rubbing his face. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I tend to be a total dick when I'm drunk."

"Yeah, we've established that already." Beca agreed.

Jesse was now moodily munching on his cereal while she continued sipping her tea, leaning against the counter. He could not remember what he said to her exactly last night. He must have been a little drunk and judging by what she said, he had probably been rude to her. He should try to fix it.

"You've got a nice apartment," Jesse tried. Beca just shrugged. He took another spoonful of cereal before trying again. "Who's the cute red head in your photos? Is she your roommate?"

He only meant to be nice, not creepy. Certainly not trying anything. But the glare Beca gave him was lethal.

"Are you done with that?" Beca said crossly. "We need to leave soon."

Jesse quickly shovelled the last spoonfuls before bringing the bowl and spoon over to the sink.

"Never mind that. Just leave it."

She was still short with him and once he got his coat, she hustled him out of the apartment before locking it up carefully. Snowball was mewing piteously. They walked the way back to the coffee shop and on to H&amp;H. She had her earbuds on all the way and completely ignored any attempt at a conversation on his part. Her phone buzzed when they reached in front of the building.

"Bill's got your stuff," Beca said once she had read her text. "He'll be in the bar around two. And word of advice? Stay away for there a couple of weeks. Until Terri's got a new victim."

"Ok," Jesse replied. "If you could sign me in, I'll lay low until I can get my things. Have to cancel a few meetings."

"Why?"

" A bit casual for work, I think," Jesse said, gesturing to his clothes.

Beca tsked impatiently and whipped out her phone.

"Hey Stace, it's me," Beca was now saying. "Need a favour. Wardrobe situation... nope, not mine. It's.. umm.. Jesse." Beca went bright red for a minute, quickly walking a few steps away and mumbling into her phone. "No, it's not like that. No. Stacie!"

"It's Terri, ok?" Beca whisper-yelled, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. "Yeah, he picked up Terri at the bar last night."

It was Jesse's turn to blush. Seriously? Does everyone know NOT to mess with Terri except him? Beca was still talking on the phone and after a minute, she came over.

"Go to The Closet. Stacie will sort you out."

"Ok."

"Come on. I'll sign you in." Beca was already walking through the doors.

"Hey Beca?"

She stopped in her tracks and sighed. "What is it now?"

Jesse shoved his hands into his pocket and looked at her a little shyly, "I just wnt to say thank you. Thanks for helping me."

Beca looked at him for a minute, her blue eyes not as hard as before.

"Yeah, ok," she replied.

He was giving her an uncertain smile like he wanted to say something else. Beca quickly cleared her throat loudly, looking away. "Will you hurry up?" she said, going back to her usual scowl. "I haven't got all day."

"Can I take you out for dinner Friday?" he blurted out. On seeing that uncertain look on her face, Jesse quickly said,"- just to say thank you. You went out of your way and I owe you. Just dinner. It's not a date or anything."

Beca chewed her bottom lip. "Ok. Quick dinner and we are even."

"Ok." His smile was dazzling.

"Now, can you hurry up?" Beca said. "I am late already."

* * *

He could danced all the way to his desk. He was that happy. Jesse could not quite explain why he had this grin on his face. The day had started off crappy but it was getting better and better.

He had went to The Closet immediately and Stacie was waiting with a suit, shirt, tie and shoes. She didn't say anything; only fixing him with a speculative stare. Then he was finally reunited with his stuff when he popped down to the bar at two and now Jesse was going back to his desk. He felt better with all his stuff in his pockets. All of them were intact; money, cards, ID. And his phone was still in one piece. Thank goodness for password protection. Bill was equally sympathetic and tickled at his little adventure and Jesse had to endure another bout of laughter and unwanted relationship advice from Bill.

But it all didn't matter. Because she said she'd go out dinner with him.

On Friday.

They are going out to dinner on Friday.

Ok. It is not a date.

No. Not a date.

But it doesn't mean he could not try to impress her a little.

What does it take to impress a woman like Beca Mitchell? - Jesse wondered. She would raised a perfect eyebrow if he brought her to somewhere fancy; that he knew. Not that she would look out of place with her dark make-up, tattoos and rock chick look. She would just know he was trying too hard. Perhaps he should just be cool and casual and bring her to a pizza place. Or they could have dumplings at Chinatown. Or perhaps he could find a small place that serves good food and plays jazz. Does she even like jazz?

Jesse was suddenly nervous. Why was he nervous?

It is not a date.

No.

Jesse Swanson is not going out on a date with Beca Mitchell.

...

He wanted to, though.

...

Whoa. What was that? Where did that thought came from?

Jesse frowned a little. He couldn't date. Where he was in his life right now, he just couldn't. It would be disastrous. Jesse was still frowning as he walked up to his desk and found it occupied. Aubrey was sitting in his chair and when she saw him approaching, she got up.

"Hey Aubrey."

The blonde merely nodded.

"Jesse. Been trying to call you. Did you get any of my messages?"

Jesse looked at his phone and noted the many missed calls and texts all from this morning.

"Sorry. Misplaced my phone. Just got it back," he smoothly said.

Aubrey huffed a little, looking around at the open plan office.

"It's fine," she said. "Just to let you know your office would be ready on Monday. Please report to Executive floor on Monday morning. All the IT and the phone line will be automatically moved."

"Ok."

"Your new assistant will start on Monday too."

"Ok. Thank you for that, Aubrey," Jesse said. "Cassis around? I thought I might pop up and see her."

"She's on her way to Chicago but you'll see her on Friday. For the Board of Directors meeting and the cocktails and and dinner afterwards. I'll send a car to pick you up."

"Fine. Just send me the details," Jesse said, eyes scrolling down his missed texts. "Wait, did you say Friday?"

"Yes. Friday," Aubrey continued.

Ah. Fuck.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN : For yuraed **

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Saturday**

Wilhelmina Slater was having a very bad morning. The only reason she was here, shivering at this golf course this early in the morning was because she wanted to be on George Harris Snr's good side. The day before did not go as planned. All her attempts to seduce that hoary old goat the night had failed and nothing was going her way. And Wilhelmina Slater was the type of person who always gets her way.

It was her turn to tee off and Wilhelmina tried to take out some of her frustration in that swing. Even with all her anger and aggression, the ball did not go that far down the green. She hated this game.

How could that old man ignore her charms?

She might be pushing 50 but Wilhelmina Slater was a very well preserved woman. Her figure was still stunning; she was virtually wrinkle-free and with her impeccable taste and mind, she was sure George Harris Snr would be eating out of her hand. But that old bastard seems to be immune to her charms. Instead, she was just attracting the lecherous attention of some of the lesser directors. Wilhelmina did not have time for that; she had bigger fish to fry.

It was all very frustrating.

She blamed it all on that Cassandra bitch. She was being her uncle's little poppet, pandering to the old man endlessly. Her and her dark haired boyfriend. Wilhelmina stood to one side as one of the other golfers teed off and she looked over to George Harris' flight; towards that dark haired young man.

Well, he was not bad looking at all and under normal circumstances. Wilhelmina's cougar instincts would have kicked in. He looked great in a suit and now looked great in polo shirt and smart slacks. He was just introduced as Jesse Swanson during the Directors' meeting and that was it. No titles, no explanation. Nothing. He had been seated next to George in the meeting, not saying much, but Wilhelmina had a feeling that he was actually quite sharp and nothing went past him.

Wilhelmina's mind kicked up a gear.

He had been with H&amp;H some two-three months now? Wilhelmina was not entirely sure. And by the blank looks from the others when he was introduced, she was sure they had no clue as well. Wilhelmina tried to rack her brains; didn't he spend some time in MODE about a month back? She did not remember meeting up with him. Of course, she was just the Creative Director. Probably Jesse Swanson had met up with that dolt, Daniel Meade.

Wilhelmina quickly tapped the speed dial on her phone and waited for the call to be picked up. It was still early and knowing her assistant he would still be fast asleep after a night of debauchery.

"Willie?" Marc's sleepy voice came through the line. She hated being called by that name but under the circumstances, Wilhelmina let it slide.

"Marc, Cassandra is up to something."

"Ok..." Marc was stifling his yawn unsuccessfully.

"I want to know what," she demanded. "Get me everything you can find about Jesse Swanson. Get someone on the inside."

Wilhelmina turned at the sound of loud laughter. George Harris Snr seemed to be sharing a joke with Jesse and was patting the young man on his shoulder. Wilhemina's eyes narrowed.

"When I say I want everything, I mean EVERYTHING!"

* * *

**Monday morning, H&amp;H building, in The Closet**

"So are you going to tell us what happened?"

Stacie was far too impatient to get to the juicy details and got straight to the point. Beca pretended to be busy trying to squeeze into the control underwear that will go under her black patent dress for the photo shoot.

"Beca, you are killing me here!" Stacie wailed.

"Yeah, short stack, spill." Amy was lounging on a sofa, flipping through an old copy of RUNWAY. She gave Beca an unblinking stare. "We all wanna know."

"What are you even doing here, Ames?" Beca said. "Don't you have a reception desk to man?"

Amy looked up and shrugged. "Eh."

"Nothing much to tell, ok?" Beca finally confessed after another glare from Stacie. "He was hot and blonde. Came here for a shoot couple of weeks ago. Coming again today for the Decibel shoot."

Beca was grinning at the thought. Oh yeah. Blondie was hot.

"I am not asking about your hook up on Saturday," Stacie sighed. "Chloe filled us in on that one already. Wait. Are you talking about Freddie? Blonde Freddie? Six pack Freddie?"

"Yep."

"Oh man! He's good. He's really good."

Stacie went into a trance for a moment and Amy had to yell at her to snap her out of it. Beca was still struggling with the zip and she came over to help.

"As I was saying..." Stacie said, pulling the zip up firmly. Beca yelped little. " - what happened with Jesse last week? You called saying there was a wardrobe malfunction and he came down wearing fuckface's old clothes that you promised me on Snowball's life that you've burned...Push your boobs up."

"What?" Beca said, surprised.

"Push them up. Make them pop. Make the girls say hello," Fat Amy pushed her ample chest melons as a demonstration and Beca thought she would go blind.

"I told you already," Beca said truculently. "He picked up Terri and that cray cray bitch hid all his things. He had to run away with his coat and Terri's yoga pants. Dude looked so pathetic I had to help."

"So you brought him back? To your apartment?" Stacie said disapprovingly.

"Nothing happened. I just gave him some of fuckface's old clothes and hauled his ass to work. That was all."

"Hmm, are you sure you didn't tear his clothes off in a night of passion?" Amy quipped up. "I think you are making up this Terri story to hide that you're tapping that." Stacie nodded in agreement.

"Ask Bill, ok? He'll vouch for me," Beca said. "Anyway, not going to touch that with a ten-foot pole. Dude's been everywhere."

"That is what I've heard," Stacie said. "He's hardly been here and getting quite a rep already. He's a dick. Don't go near him, Beca."

"Oh I know he's a dick," Beca replied. "Asked me out for dinner Friday and then bailed out."

"WHAT?"

Oops.

* * *

**Monday**

Monday morning and Jesse remembered his desk had been moved. His pass was good for everywhere in the building but the security guard was not taking any chances and personally escorted him to the Executive floor. Benji was already waiting at the floor's reception.

"Good weekend, bro?" Benji had asked, smiling.

"Yeah, not bad. Golf on Saturday and a bit of a chill out on Sunday," Jesse had answered. "When are we going to hang out? I hardly see you these few weeks."

Benji just grinned. "Whenever you want. I've heard you've been very busy."

Jesse had merely shrugged. They went down the corridor covered in plush carpet, passing several pieces of expensive artwork before going through another open plan office to the corner office at the back.

"Here's your office. They gave you a nice one," Benji had said. They stopped at a desk in front of the office. A blonde woman with wavy hair and perfectly made up was sitting behind the desk and smiling as they approached. "Here's Amanda. She's your new assistant."

Jesse had nodded at the pretty woman, remembering he had seen her at MODE before. "Hi."

"Good morning, Mr. Swanson," she had replied with a salacious smile. "I'm Amanda Tannen. Can I get you anything?"

"No, nothing at the moment. We'll have a briefing once I'm settled in," Jesse had replied.

He frowned a little before stepping into his office and closing the door behind him and Benji. The office was impressive. Great furniture with a large mahogany desk and a leather sofa. There was even a small ensuite to one side. The views from the floor to ceiling windows were amazing but Jesse was not looking at the view.

Part of the wall between the office and the assistant's desk outside was made of glass. Jesse glanced out through the blinds at his new assistant who was wearing a very, very short skirt, showing acres of finely toned legs in red high heels.

He turned towards Benji, "Did Aubrey choose her?"

Benji noted whom Jesse was talking about and shook his head. "No, she was not Aubrey's first choice but she was the only one available from the pool. She'll do for now."

Jesse glanced at his new assistant again and Amanda glanced back at him, like she knew he was checking her out. She gave him a small, knowing smile, raising her eyebrow just a fraction. And just then, Jesse Swanson realised he had to be very, very careful.

* * *

**A few hours later**

Jesse pressed the elevator down to the fourth floor. It was hopeless. He could not concentrate on his work and Amanda kept barging into his office, dropping pencils and bending over. He grew tired of having to avert his eyes every time she did that and Jesse almost yelled at her to stay outside until she was called.

He had got up and left his office without a word to his new assistant.

He just wanted to see Beca.

Jesse felt awful about last week. Just hours after she said yes to dinner on Friday, he had to cancel. He had tried finding her in her office to explain but she had already gone to attend a gig. Jesse had to email her instead and that made him felt a hundred times worse. What kind of dick was he cancelling dinner via email?

Her reply had been a curt. "No problem" and that was it.

What was it about Beca that made him behave this way? Why was he always a 100% Grade A dick whenever he was around her? He was not like this. Jesse Swanson was a smooth operator; not this gauche, totally uncool, dick of a guy that he was whenever he was within ten metres radius of her?

He was just outside Decibel's main door, determined to talk to her face to face when it opened and Noah loomed in the doorway.

"Oh hey, Jesse. Fancy seeing you here," Noah was smiling down at the younger man. Jesse smiled back. Noah was a bear of a man but behind that beard and gruff, he was as gentle as could be. Jesse liked him.

"I'm looking for Beca."

"Beca? Oh. She's not here."

"Oh." Jesse hoped Beca was not avoiding him. Was she avoiding him? "Alright, I - "

"Beca's at a Christmas photo shoot. I'm just on my way down to look," Noah continued. "Do you want to come?"

Jesse thought it would be rude to say no to Noah, especially when he looked so excited about it.

"Ok." he said, falling in step beside Noah.

* * *

**Decibel's Christmas photo shoot**

This was turning out all wrong.

Stacie rubbed her temples and tried looking at the scene again in front of her.

What the fuck was wrong? It was such a simple set-up. All she wanted for the photo shoot was to recreate a homage to Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love video. Shania Twain did it ages ago and she thought Beca would look super hot in the same costume upfront, posing with that old fashioned mic while hot men in leather pants and tight tops stared moodily from the back.

It was that fucking easy.

But no. It had been an hour and they still have not wrapped this up.

The make-up was perfect. Lily had done a superb job, highlighting Beca's cheeks and making her blue eyes popped with all the heavy eye makeup. The clothes were exactly as per the video. And Stacie had five hot men on the guitars, keyboard and drums whilst dressed in tight pants and tops.

What was wrong?

It was Beca.

She was what's wrong.

She was drowning in that tailored coat and the top hat perched on her head looked stupid. She looked awkward and petrified posing for the photographer, despite all his gentle instructions and under the hot lights, her make-up was already melting. And now she was arguing with one of the male models.

"You are holding that all wrong!" Beca was now saying, gesturing to the guitar the model was holding. He looked deadly afraid of her.

"What are you bitching about now, shorty?" Stacie hollered, her patience paper thin.

"He's holding the guitar wrong," Beca complained. "This is for a music magazine, Stace. We'll get crucified."

"Ok. Ok," Stacie conceded. She knew what a perfectionist Beca could be. Stacie looked at the blonde on the drums. "Freddie, do you know how to hold a guitar?"

"I can play bass." The good-looking model said with a half smile.

"Alright, switch," Stacie ordered. "And for fuck sake, someone show that man how to hold the drumsticks before Beca has a seizure."

"As for you, miss - " Stacie whirled round and glared at Beca. "What's the hell wrong with you?! This should be a piece of cake. You've performed at Lincoln Center and on international stage, for goodness sake!"

"This feels so fake," Beca whined.

"I don't care how fake this feels. You'd better bring it, Beca! Or I have to resort to blackmail!"

"Alright! Give me ten minutes. Let me figure this out," Beca replied churlishly.

"Go and get your make-up touched up," Stacie said, signalling to Lily to come forward. "You look like something from the House of Wax."

"Ok guys, take five," Stacie said to everyone as Beca walked off the set.

Stacie went over to a nearby table and took a sip of water, trying to calm down. This was a nightmare and to make matters worse, was that Noah, Beca's boss coming into the studio, followed by that douchebag, Jesse Swanson? Stacie took another gulp of water before walking to the back of the room.

"Hey Noah! Come down to see the shoot?" Stacie called out, smiling at Beca's genial boss.

"Yes. I thought I show Jesse our first ever Christmas shoot," Noah answered, still jiggling with excitement "You know Jesse, right?"

"Yes, of course." Stacie nodded at Jesse. Her tone was a degree frosty and Jesse looked a little puzzled.

Noah was oblivious to all that, now rubbing his hands in glee before speaking, "So how is it going? Where's Beca?"

It had been horrible.

A total nightmare.

They were wasting time and money.

Stacie was not about to say all that. Not to Beca's boss and definitely not in front of Monsieur Dick, Jesse Swanson, himself. She would halt the shoot and do some damage control if it came to that.

"She's having her make-up touched up. These lights can be so hot," Stacie said lightly. Stacie turned round towards the set and then she smiled. "Oh. She comes now."

There were many occasions when Stacie had been proud of Beca. Her friend was ballsy and strong and fearless, And when the situation called for it, Beca Mitchell always bring it. But Stacie could seriously kissed her right now.

She could.

She could run up and hugged Beca right now because damn, can that girl bring it!

Because there she was, striding onto the set with those thigh high heeled fuck me boots, like she owned it.

She had ditched that heavy coat and was wearing a white cotton shirt over her black dress. She ditched the top hat too and had loosened her hair to fall in waves around her face. That black pearl fringed choker on her pale neck completed the look. When she finally positioned herself in the middle of the set, feet apart in those sexy boots, Beca just nodded to Lily who immediately shuffled the sound system.

The techno crap which was blaring at a headache inducing decibel was cut and the air was soon filled with heavy drumbeats.

"Ok guys, just move to the beat. Side shuffle, on the spot. Just like this," Beca spoke to the models over the intro, showing them the moves. " Channel Zoolander Blue Steele. Show me that you are more than just really, really good looking."

The instructions seemed to work as they began to sway from side to side to the music. Beca turned round and closed her eyes for a second, tapping her feet to the beat, listening to the guitar riff and the brass coming on next. Stacie had kicked the fans on, making Beca's hair flew back and hurried over to the photographer, quickly hissing, "Go go go! She's gonna be in the zone."

Jesse blinked.

Ok, he was not expecting this.

Christmas shoot? Fine. He was expecting perhaps a sexy variation of a Santa costume and some elves? Maybe an ice queen and a wintry scene? Not this hot as fuck replicate of one of the most iconic music videos. And Beca Mitchell front centre looking like that.

And then Robert Palmer's vocals came and Beca sang over.

_Your lights are on, but you're not home  
Your mind is not your own  
Your heart sweats, your body shakes  
Another kiss is what it takes_

OK, does she have to cradle that mic in her hand like that? And her red lined lips have to be close to the mic? Like she's going to lick it or kiss it or do something sexual with it? God, her eyes. Her mouth.

_You can't sleep, you can't eat  
There's no doubt, you're in deep  
Your throat is tight, you can't breathe  
Another kiss is all you need_

"Jesse, you alright?"

"Hmm?"

"You look a bit pale." Noah was looking at him a little worriedly. Jesse cleared his throat and tugged at his collar a little.

"No, I'm fine. Umm..just a little hot. Is it a little hot in here?"

_You like to think that you're immune to the stuff_... - she sang, voice easily matching Robert's - _It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough. You know you're gonna have to face it ,you're addicted to love."_

OK. Too many things were happening now. The photographer was crazily clicking away. Stacie was shouting to the models, "Smoulder! I said Smoulder; not constipated! Gimme more of those eyes!" Lily, the make-up artist was now hopping about lipsynching to the song, brandishing a hairbrush.

And now Beca was kicking it up a notch. She had ripped that shirt opened, buttons flying, tossing it to one side. And oh god, what was she wearing? Only a black patent ass skimming dress that made her breasts defied gravity.

_You see the signs, but you can't read  
You're runnin' at a different speed  
You heart beats in double time  
Another kiss and you'll be mine_

_A one track mind – _she belted higher _\- You can't be saved. Oblivion is all you crave._

Beca was jumping in time and whipping her head side to side. The sight of her boobs bouncing was mesmerising. Stacie and Lily were now dancing and singing together happily at the side. Even Noah was nodding and tapping his foot in time.

_Might as well face it, you're addicted to love  
Might as well face it, you're addicted to love_

Jesse could only stand still and shoved his hands deeply into his pockets. He had to hide that hard on somehow.

* * *

**Fifteen minutes later**

"Did you get it? Did you get everything?"

"Yeah. That was fab!" The photographer grinned from behind his camera, "I'll hook it up to the Mac and you can see some samples." Stacie squealed and gave Beca the thumbs up. Noah was saying something or other but he was finding it hard to concentrate on what the older man was saying.

"Do you want to see them?" Noah was now asking.

"Hmm? What?" - _Her boobs? Yeah, he wants to see 'em_ \- " Oh. The photos. Ok."

Jesse just followed Noah to the photographer's desk, feeling a little dazed. The photographer was already uploading the files from his camera. He kept his eyes on the screen but he was only too aware of Beca laughing with Stacie and Lily.

And in the next moment, the Mac screen was filled with her images. Close ups of Beca looking direct at the camera with her hard blue eyes. Next one, eyes closed, red mouth opened, singing. Then full shoots of her hair whipped back, holding the mic, the models smouldering behind. A full shot of her in side profile smiling to the bass guitarist.

Perfect.

Every frame looked perfect.

"Wow." Noah said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Yeah. Wow.

* * *

Jesse did not know how long he was staring at the screen. Noah and the photographer had chosen a few images and played around with it. Why was he still stuck here behind this screen? He should go talk to her.

The assistants were already packing up the set. Stacie had looked very pleased with the whole shoot and was talking to Lily and tidying up the clothes they had used for the shoot. Beca was now laughing and talking to that tall blonde model, who had his hand on her waist in a very familiar way.

He should really talk to her. Say something cool.

Like how he liked the song.

And how he thought she rocked it.

And how he thought the concept was brilliant.

And how he wanted nothing but to grab her at this moment.

Failing which he wanted these pics of her for.. umm.. research purposes.

Ok. Creepy.

No.

Ok. Just be cool. Just go up and talk to her.

The blonde man had walked away now to get undressed and Beca stepped off the set, taking off the choker around her neck and using a towel to wipe her brow.

"Hey," Jesse said.

She stopped in her tracks, looking up at him in surprise.

"Oh, hey," Beca said, a little stupified. "Didn't know you were here."

"Yeah. Noah asked whether I wanna come," Jesse said, shoving his hands into his pockets again. Her rack was awesome and he was trying very hard not to stare. "Umm.. didn't know you model."

Beca scoffed. "Just something Noah asked me to do. It's not my day job."

"No one would know. You looked perfect. I mean...you were perfect," Jesse faltered, trying to find the right words. Damn, her boobs were distracting. "No one would have guessed you were a journalist.. I mean.. there's no set look but -"

"Ok, don't trip all over your tongue," Beca said, shaking her head in disbelief now.

"Beca!" Stacie hollered. "Get change! I want to get out of here in this decade." Stacie was throwing her dagger looks and motioning her to come over. She was also making a rude finger gesture in reference to Jesse and Beca was trying not to laugh.

"I gotta go."

"Ok." Jesse said. "Actually I just wanted to see you. To say sorry about last week."

"Don't worry about it," Beca said casually.

"It was work. And I had to - "

"No explanation necessary. It's totally fine." Beca answered.

"Can we reschedule?" Jesse said hopefully. "I still owe you dinner."

"You know what, it's fine," Beca said. "You don't owe me anything."

Jesse was about to protest when that blonde god came by again, now dressed in jeans and a tight white tshirt. "Hey, I'm ready when you are," he said huskily to Beca, eyes only for her.

"That was quick," Beca said, smiling up at the blonde. "I still need to change and I think Noah might still need me. Are you ok waiting?"

"Yeah. Fine," the blonde answered. He tipped his head casually at Jesse and introduced himself. "Hi. I'm Freddie."

"Jesse," Jesse said, shaking Freddie's hand.

"I think I go up to RUNWAY and find Nigel," Freddie said to Beca, now that pleasantries with Jesse out of the way. "I'll see you in Reception?"

Beca nodded and Freddie walked away. Both Jesse and Beca were awkwardly standing, looking at each other, not knowing what else to say. And after a moment, Beca grimaced, "Ok, I gotta go. See you around."

"Ok." Jesse replied regretfully.

And she turned on those sexy heels and strutted off. Jesse could only stand there for a moment, staring at that perfect ass move under that tight patent dress.

* * *

"Mr. Swanson's office. Amanda speaking."

Amanda Tannen picked up the call with a press of a well-manicured nail. She flicked her eyes at the closed door. The blinds were partially drawn and she could see Jesse sitting behind his desk, leaning back into his chair, hands behind his head. He was staring at the ceiling like he was in deep thought.

He looked so yummy.

"Amanda, it's me."

"Hey Marc!" Amanda said gaily when she heard his voice over the phone. Marc was calling from Wilhelmina's office "Willy is out, isn't she?"

"Yes. She's still very cross about having to play golf on Saturday morning and I've booked her for a decompression massage." Just as Amanda guessed, Marc. St James was in Wilhelmina's office, sitting in her chair and sipping some champagne from her private cellar. There were some perks to the job. He smacked his lips after a long sip of champagne and spoke down the phone. "So how is it? How do you like working for such a dish?"

"He's a dream," Amanda was saying over the line. "Caught him staring at my legs through the window."

"Hmm. Sounds like you are in." Marc purred. "Did he check out your ass?"

"Well, I did do the pencil drop quite a few times. Haven't caught him ogling yet." Amanda whispered back. "Mmm.. wouldn't mind rolling in the bed with this one. I think he's going to be better than Daniel."

Marc was tutting at her now.

"Remember why you are there, sweetie. I had to shred so many CVs on a Saturday so that yours was on top of the pile for this," Marc reprimanded. "We have to gather as much information on him like Willy wanted. Appointments, who he sees and when, any work you can copy and send through. Willy needs to know."

"I know. I know," Amanda answered. "But he's so cute though. And Marc, you should see the sexy way he unbutton his collar and whip off his tie. He can whip me any time."

"All in good time, honey. All in good time."

* * *

**AN** : _I am sorry. I'm spending far too much time building it up. I should really dive into the smut already. Please bear with me. I hope it's not getting too boring_.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN : **_Hey all, thank you so much for all the reviews and follows. Its' cold here in London but all your follows and reviews are like warm hugs. Yes, I was thinking of that blond god, Freddie Stroma in the last chapter. I didn't feel like using Luke again for this fic. Also fuckface is Daniel Meade. Ask me anything if it's not clear. And if you would like to see how the Ugly Betty characters looked like, please google. Amanda Tannen is a fox!_

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

"It's here!"

Chloe was squealing excitedly, brandishing the December issue of Decibel at her room mate. Beca stopped typing on her Mac and took off her headphones. By the way Chloe was dancing excitedly on the spot, Beca Mitchell was now certain that her long time friend and roommate was a certifiable lunatic.

"Budge! Make room!" the redhead ordered. Beca sighed loudly and budged over, dislodging Snowball from his perch. Chloe was deaf to Snowball's complaints as she sat down and placed the new magazine reverently on the coffee table and gently turned the pages.

"Dude, I showed you the proofs like a thousand times, " Beca said.

"It's not the same, Beca!" Chloe wailed. She immediately turned to the relevant pages and gasped excitedly. "Oh my gosh! Look at you!Quick, hand me my phone."

Beca was rolling her eyes as Chloe excitedly punched her speed dial.

"Stacie? Yes! I've seen it! It looked fantastic," Chloe was now saying. "Yes, you are a genius. She looked fabulous. Yeah, we should totally use the photos for her eHarmony profile. Totes. Couldn't hurt."

"What?" Beca said, her ears pricking up. "What eHarmony profile?"

"Yeah, I'm sending copies to her mom and dad too. You know her; she won't do it." Chloe continued talking to Stacie.

"Chloe Beale, get off the phone at once!" Beca bellowed. She grabbed the phone off her room mate "Stacie, I call you back." Once she ended the call, Beca was looking disbelievingly at her roommate. "Tell me you are kidding about the eHarmony thing."

In reply, Chloe made a very good impression of Amy. "Ummmm...ummmmm..."

"Chloe, I am not very happy with you right now," Beca threatened.

Chloe chewed the end of one of her curls before confessing. "It's an intervention, ok? We thought between us, we could find someone decent for you, Beca. We are all worried about you."

"What? What are you worried about?"

"We think you are still messed up about fuckface, Even after all this time," Chloe continued. "Come on, Becs, you went from not having sex for a whole year to being...being Jezebel!"

"Jezebel?" Beca wanted to laugh out loud but Chloe was looking really serious.

"This is not you, Becs. You are not Stacie," Chloe insisted. "Things like these used to mean something to you. It took Daniel almost six months before he got into your pants."

Beca's mouth twisted bitterly. "Yeah. And look where that got me."

Chloe shut up immediately, conscious she might be hurting her best friend. That Daniel Meade certainly had a lot to answer for. Chloe remembered the aftermath too well and if murder was not illegal, she would be the first in a long line to kill that bastard.

Beca sighed. She didn't really want to fight. She knew all her friends meant well.

"Look, I'm ok. I really am," Beca said. "I just realised I have needs. And it's pretty stupid to get so hung up about it. I know what I'm doing. It's all just for fun."

Beca didn't add it was that hot moment in the alley with Jesse that jolted her out of her rut. She didn't realised how much she missed sex. That hot heat in her belly, the feeling of a man's hands on her skin, his lips on hers. That delicious feeling of having him groaning, completely under her spell. A tingle went up her core just thinking about it and Beca's cheeks flushed. None of her recent encounters had matched up to that sizzling moment with Jesse Swanson. The couple of times with Freddie had been close but that was about it.

"I'm sorry we're meddling, Becs."

"Hmm?" Beca came out of her daydreaming. Oh. She was supposed to be mad. "It's ok. You guys are awesome-ly horrible but I love you for it."

Her eyes then fell on the magazine. "Chlo, you are not serious about sending a copy to my parents, right?"

"Of course I am," Chloe said, happy that Beca was not really angry and they had changed the topic. "Your dad would be so proud, Becs."

"Ummmm...I am not entirely sure I want my mom and dad to see these," Beca said, nervously flipping the few pages and looking at the photos. At the full page one where she was in that thigh high black boots, legs apart, short black patent dress with the tops of her breasts showing. "I look like sex on a stick."

Somewhere else in Manhattan, perusing the Decibel magazine in his hands, Jesse was having the exact same thought.

* * *

**Saturday**

Jesse was humming to himself as he made his way out of his office. He tipped his head to the security guard who was making his rounds, stepped into the waiting elevator and pressed the button for the basement.

It was not usual for him to work on H&amp;H on a Saturday.

Saturdays were either recovering from a hangover or trying to get away from whichever hook-up he got on with on Friday night. But after that Terri incident, Jesse had steered clear of one night stands. That was rather scary and frankly the sex had never been good enough to make it worth it.

Besides, he had to get on top of his work and today was the perfect day for it. The office was deserted. He could dress down and have some music playing on the background while he tried to make sense of all this sensitive information he was ploughing through. And NOT having his assistant constantly hovering was a big plus. Jesse had a hunch that Amanda had been snooping around. He would have to speak to Aubrey about it.

Right. Archives.

He just needed to pull out some reports and that would be it. The door to the Archives loomed in front of him. Jesse frowned at the archive box used to prop the door open. That was a little odd. Jesse swiped his pass and entered, pushing the box into the room. The door fell shut behind him.

Jesse looked round the small vestibule. Usually Joe, the Archives assistant, would be around at the front desk and would retrieve the files Jesse wanted but he was not working today. No matter. He had been here once or twice and Jesse was sure he could easily lay his hands on those reports.

He went into the next room where the shelves were, threw the lights on and ran his eyes on the reference numbers. Just as he thought. Piece of cake. For the next ten minutes, he rifled through the files before taking an armful out and spreading it over all over the table on this side of the room.

This was actually quite enjoyable.

Jesse was enjoying himself. No one was around, he was doing his work without interruptions and listening to his favourite songs through his earbuds. His iPod shuffled to the next song and Jesse grinned. He snapped his fingers and danced a little to the song now playing.

Yeah. This song's cool.

Nothing like a bit of sing-a-long. No one was around.

And Jesse sang out loud, eyes closed.

_You don't have to be beautiful to turn me on  
__I just need your body, baby, from dusk till dawn  
__You don't need experience to turn me out  
__You just leave it all up to me, I'm gonna show you what it's all about_

Here's the chorus, baby. Give them some pipes.

_You don't have to be rich to be my girl  
__You don't have to be cool to rule my world  
__Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with  
__I just want your extra time and your...kiss_

Jesse was belting it out. Even doing the kisses. That was the best bit. And when he opened his eyes...

"Jesus Christ!"

This was how a heart attack feels like. He was having a heart attack. Oh god. He couldn't breathe. His heart.

"Dude, you alright?' The apparition before him spoke.

Jesse raised a hand, asking for a moment, still in too much shock to speak. He bent down, clutching his heart, panting hard.

"Dude, don't die on me. Do you need anything? Water? Do I need to call 911?"

Beca was now leaning down, peering into his face with concern.

"I think I need to call 911," Beca decided.

"No," Jesse gasped out. He was still panting.. "I...I'm ok. I'm ok." His head finally cleared and he didn't feel like passing out. He could speak in full sentences now.

"What the hell you doing here? I thought I was alone." Jesse yelled when he finally regained his breath. His heart was still hammering.

"I thought I was alone!" Beca yelled back. "What the hell are YOU doing here?"

"You scared me half to death!" Jesse said.

"Yeah? You scared me too!" Beca countered. "I was quietly doing my work when suddenly someone started shrieking In a supposedly empty room. How did that make me feel?"

Wait. What? She. Did. Not. She saw the whole thing?

"I wasn't shrieking," Jesse huffed, flushing with embarrassment now. "I happened to sing very well."

"Whatever, dude."

"How long were you here?" Jesse said churlishly.

"Long enough," Beca answered, trying not to grin gleefully. "Saw the whole thing. The pirouette, the hip action, the smacking lips..."

Ok, he was not going to die of a heart attack. He was going to die of embarrassment instead. Jesse was sure of it. Seeing the mortified look on his face, Beca took pity on him.

"Great song choice, by the way," she said, smiling. "Which version was it?"

Jesse noted the conciliatory tone and her smile.

"Prince for coolness," he replied. "Tom Jones for power."

"Good answer," she nodded approvingly. "But you're still not telling me which version you're listening to."

"Well, you'll never know, " Jesse replied smugly, having the upper hand for once. He went round to the table and started to scoop up his files. "What are you doing here on a Saturday?"

"Work. How about you?" Beca said, watching him arranging the files into a neat pile.

"Work." he answered curtly.

"What? Terri let you out?" Beca baited and seeing his scowl, Beca immediately apologised in the most insincere way. "Ooooh, ok, sorry! Touched a nerve there."

"Just go back to whatever you are doing," Jesse said, still painfully embarrassed and out of joint. Beca rolled her eyes, muttered "Okay!" and walked away. She went over to the other side of the room, which was separated by the bank of shelves. No wonder he didn't noticed her just now.

Jesse sat down and opened the folder on top of the pile and began to read the reports. Minutes ticked by. His concentration lasted all of fifteen minutes. He tapped his pen on the table, thinking. What was she doing here on a Saturday? Shouldn't she be at home or out doing Beca things, whatever they were?

Jesse glanced over to the shelves, trying to catch a glimpse but the way was blocked. He was curious now. He got up and silently made his way through the shelves to the other side of the room. Beca was sitting on a table not that different from his, the top littered with magazines and papers. She was making copious notes in longhand, totally absorbed in her work.

He made sure he knocked on the table to get her attention. No point scaring her again. Jesse was sure she would make him regret it if he did. Beca looked up, arching her eyebrow at her interruption.

"What do you want, weirdo?" she barked out.

"What are you working on?" Jesse asked, coming nearer, trying to make sense of the mess.

Beca sighed and rubbed her temples. "Why are you so nosy? Don't you have your own work to do?"

"I do," Jesse agreed. "But it looks boring now. Tell me what you're doing."

"I purposely come in on a Saturday NOT to be disturbed."

"This looks interesting," Jesse said, delving into an open box and extracting an old copy of Decibel. He read it for a minute before putting his hand to take another piece out.

"Will you stop that?" Beca said sharply, taking the stuff out of his hands. "There's order in this chaos, ok? You are ruining it."

"Oh. Sorry." Jesse's attention was now caught by her notepad with the loopy handwriting. "Wow, your handwriting's not too bad now."

Beca slapped a file on top of her notepad, clearly annoyed now. "You are like an untrained puppy, you know. Stop being so nosy."

"Well, if you tell me what you are doing, I wouldn't have to be."

Beca sighed in defeat. "Ok, fine. I'm doing some research for the March issue. It would be Decibel's fiftieth year and I want something big to commemorate that."

"Like a retrospective issue?" Jesse said, eyes widening. "That would be fantastic. I didn't know Decibel was around that long. "

"Yeah," Beca said with a small smile. "It had been through some great music moments. Some of the old articles and reporting were on the edge. It's hard to tell whether Decibel was on top of the trend or whether it set the trend."

Jesse caught that note of passion in her voice. His eyes raked over the photos and articles on the table. There were bits of post-its and markers all over the mess. In addition to all that copious notes she was making. She had obviously done a lot of grunt work.

"It meant a lot to you, huh?" he said,

Beca had a nostalgic smile on her face as she fiddled with a page. "I used to save up my pocket money to get the latest magazine. It was more than just music. My mum used to..."

She stopped mid-sentence with a shake of her head and a rueful smile on her face.

"I get what you're saying," he replied softly, watching her profile. This was a different side to her. This softer yet passionate side. Jesse got a feeling she did not show this side of her very much. "If anyone could do justice to such an article, it would be you."

Beca frowned at the compliment. "How do you know how I write?"

Jesse cleared his throat a little. "The article you wrote the December issue. It was very good."

She cocked an eyebrow, smile at the corner of her mouth, "Thank you. It's nice to know someone read the article. All I get are comments about the photos."

"Umm.." Jesse mumbled, flushing now. "The photos were very nice too."

She was rolling her eyes now, muttering "Pervert" under her breath. Jesse frowned.

"Why do you do that?" Jesse said, sounding a little crossed.

"Do what?"

"Act like I've insulted you,"Jesse said. "Just because I said you looked great in those photos, you assumed I'm some kind of pervert. I was just paying you a compliment. A thank you would be nice."

"Oh please! If I was in a nun habit, I'm sure you would just bypass those pages." Beca argued back, rolling her eyes yet again. "As it was, I was dressed like some burlesque wet dream."

"Why do you do it then?" he challenged. "If you think putting on that sexy dress undermined your serious article, why did you do it?"

"Because sex sells, what else!" Beca said, wringing her hands. "And Decibel needs as much help as it can get!"

Jesse was quiet for a moment. "You think Decibel is in trouble?"

Beca thought she had said too much already.

"I'm done here. I'm going," she said, quickly packing up the mess on the table. Jesse just watched as she hurriedly stuffed the papers into the archive box. She hauled it easily back to its place before returning to the table and briskly picking up her stuff.

"Good luck with your work. You should get started." Beca said pointedly. A brief nod and she was already on her way the exit.

Jesse looked at her departing back for a moment, wondering why in the world was she so difficult. She was so very difficult. And infuriating. And antagonistic. And challenging. Prickly. Irksome. Definitely irksome. Tiresome. And amazing. And passionate. And wonderful.

Jesse returned to his seat, intending to continue his work. The reports stared back at him and he looked at them, not understanding a word he was reading. He tossed his pen on top of the pile. He had no mood for this now. He might as well pack up and go. Maybe have something to eat...

"Jesse Swanson!"

Oh god. She was right. The acoustic in that room was amazing. A simple yell sounded like an unholy scream. It was frightening. Jesse was already on his feet when she stomped back into the room.

Ok, just now that yell? The one he thought was frightening?

Nope. Nu-uh.

That was like a gentle whisper in the breeze.

This? This image of Beca Mitchell, stomping back, eyes hard and angry mouth set in a cold line? This was truly frightening.

"Be- "

He didn't even managed to say two syllables.

"Did you remove the box?"

"What? What box?"

"Did you REMOVE the box?" Beca yelled. "The one propping the door open?"

"Oh yeah. I did. What's wrong?"

She was definitely turning white with rage. Although she was trying to control it.

"That box was there for a reason." she hissed back at him.

"Can't you open the door?" Jesse said. His feet took him out into the vestibule where the reception desk was. Beca followed right behind him.

"Would I be here yelling at you if I could open the bloody door?" Beca roared. "The door's a bit funny, ok? Usually Joe can let us out but Joe is not here. He also did not leave the key. We are fucking locked in."

Jesse tried everything. Swiping his pass. Rattling the knob. Even trying to budge the door with his shoulder but yep, she was right. They were locked in.

"Oh man! Can we call security?" Jesse went behind Joe's desk, quickly dialling the front desk. The phone rang and rang. "No one's answering."

"Louie's probably doing his rounds," Beca replied. "It would be hours before he'll get back."

Jesse took out his phone. He would have to call someone. Benji maybe or at the last resort, Aubrey. The reception was almost non-existent. "Can't get reception," Jesse was now saying, waving his phone about in vain hope. Jesse went back to the land line, thinking he could call Benji from there but all he could get was some sort of disconnected tone. "What's wrong with this phone? Why can't I dial out?"

Beca did not answer.

"Beca?" Jesse swivelled round to look at her. She was looking paler than usual. "Are you ok?" She still did not answer and Jesse immediately went over. She was shaking, eyes a little wild, breaths panting. When he touched her arm, her skin felt cold and clammy.

"Beca, you ok?"

He was worried now. She looked like she was having a panic attack.

"We're trapped," she mumbled. "No one's going to find us. We're going to die. Chlo's not home. No one's gonna feed Snowball." Her mumblings were getting more hysterical. "Snowball's going to die. My cat's going to die."

"Hey..hey, no one's going to die," Jesse said firmly.

"Is there any air? I can't breathe!" Beca was clawing at her throat now.

"Beca! Beca, listen to me," Jesse said sharply. He shook her a little until her eyes were focussed on him. "Listen to me. It's going to be fine. I want you to breathe in deeply, ok? Follow me. Breathe in. And out."

Her eyes were still darting about and Jesse held her head so she was looking straight at him.

"It's fine. Just breathe with me. Come on, you can do it."

She was breathing deeply now, following his instructions.

"You're doing great," Jesse said gently. A little colour was coming to her cheeks. "Do you want some water? I'll get you some water." Jesse was about to let her go and look for that bottle of water he had with him just now but Beca was clutching on to him desperately.

"Please. Don't go." Beca whispered.

"Ok. It's ok. I'm still here," Jesse said.

She had sank down onto the floor and he followed suit. She was still shaking and Jesse put his arms around her to calm her down. Beca wiped her face. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I was once trapped in a lift alone for hours when I was little. I rarely have these panic attacks anymore. It's just.. the thought..."

"It's fine. You're fine," Jesse said soothingly. He gently stroked her back while still holding her close. Her eyes were closed as she leant her head against his shoulder, breathing in and out slowly. Her breathing sounded more even now; not as harsh or as short as before.

They sat in silence for a while.

"So...did you have a nice Thanksgiving?" Jesse said conversationally. Beca had to smile at his efforts to be casual. That panic attack did scare her a little but she felt better now, just leaning against him. At least she had stop shaking.

"It was fine. How about yours?" Beca replied. "Did you go back to...wherever you're from."

He dimpled sweetly down at her.

"Nope. Just spend a quiet night in all by myself."

"Oh. Didn't know that." Beca replied, a little uncomfortable.

He didn't go home? Why? Perhaps he didn't have family? Beca felt a little bad now.

"Could have asked you to join us," Beca said. "I mean.. you may get food poisoning from Amy's turkey and Chloe's yams are always overcooked. But we drink a lot to make up for the lack of food. And Lily makes a mean pumpkin pie."

She knew she was rattling the words out. Jesse was laughing lightly.

"Yeah, right. Like you would invite me over," he teased. "I think you and your friends made it pretty clear that you all didn't like me very much."

"I don't know what you mean." Beca protested, a little ill at ease. She was painfully aware that she was still leaning against him. Beca immediately sat up and moved away.

"Well, Amy stares at me and mumble something about releasing the kraken every time I go past her desk," Jesse said. He found he had wanted to keep his arms around her a little longer. And now he had folded his arms across his chest, just to have something to do. "I'm sure I've seen Stacie used a rude gesture to describe me once or twice. And Lily? Is that her name? muttered something about voodoo dolls and just needing my hair."

"Sorry," Beca groaned. "They are nuts. Don't mind them."

"It's fine," Jesse said with a low chuckle. "I didn't exactly make a good impression on you from the very beginning. Wouldn't blame you if you think I'm an asshole."

"Well...if the shoe fits..." she was smiling as she said it.

"I'm very nice if you get to know me properly," Jesse protested.

"Yeah sure," Beca said mockingly. She looked up at the main desk and said, "I think we should try Security again."

Their second attempt was the same as the first. Jesse pressed the buttons a few more times and said in disgust, "I can't believe we can't call out on this stupid land line."

"Wait, did you try dialling 9 before dialling out?" Beca said.

Jesse slapped his forehead. He was very stupid. This time round he managed to dial out. They couldn't get Benji nor Aubrey. Chloe was out of town, Stacie didn't pick up and Beca only managed to say half the things she wanted to Amy before the line was cut off. Amy shouted that she couldn't hear her and it sounded like there was a rave in the background.

"There must be another way out. Some sort of window or vent," Jesse said, a little restless now. "Do you want to check this side and I'll check the other? Will you be ok doing that?"

"I'm fine." Beca said, eyes already roving along the wall. "Holler if you find something."

He was barely gone when Beca heard him calling out her name. She went into the room, passed the bank to shelves to find him excitedly beckoning her over to the far wall. He was pointing to one side and high up, Beca noticed some sort of vent.

"Dude, whatever James Bond or Mission Impossible fantasy you are having, it is not happening," Beca said, eyeing the vent warily. "I don't think you can fit into that vent."

"Who said it's me?" Jesse said. "I think you would fit plus I can give you a leg up."

"Are you sure about that?" Beca said in trepidation, "It looks small."

"Have you seen yourself lately?" Jesse said. "You are TINY! Like the tiniest hobbit I've ever met. Come on, you'll fit. Do you really want to stay in here until Monday?"

"Haul me up," Beca said simply.

He cupped his hands together, giving her a leg up and Beca scrambled up against him.

"A little higher! I can't reach it," Beca said, trying to balance herself and reaching out for the vent. Jesse pushed her a little higher and Beca was now batting him round his head with her hands.

"Stop grabbing my ass!" Beca yelled.

"I'm trying to push you up!" came the muffled shout. His face was pressed into her right thigh.

"You are not doing a good job!" Beca answered. The vent was just barely out of reach. If she could just... Beca launched herself forward and her fingers gripped onto the vent. She also kneed Jesse at the side of his head.

"Oww!"

"Jesse!"

"My head!"

"Jesse, I can't hold...Fuck!"

And her fingers were clutching at nothing. And she was falling. He was trying to catch her. And they fell down into a crumpled heap on the floor.

"Beca! Oh god, are you ok?" Jesse was trying to scramble up to his knees. She was lying beneath him on the cold floor, still, her eyes closed. He was practically on top of her and she was only tiny and he might have hurt her or she might have broken her back or her leg or her neck. "Beca, are you ok?" He was panicking now.

And then he felt it.

Her body shaking underneath him. Shaking and shaking. Until that peal of laughter erupted from her lips. Her eyes popped open and tears were streaming down her face now and he could not help that laugh coming out of him.

"What the fuck do we think we were doing?" she laughed out between snorts of laughter.

"I don't know," Jesse replied, shaking with laughter. "Cirque de Soleil?"

That seemed incredibly funny all of the sudden and they were laughing hysterically now.

"How's your head?" Beca asked. "Do you need to go to ER again?"

"I have a thick skull," Jesse answered. "I'll live."

Jesse was now conscious he was lying on top of her. He quickly got up and held out his hand to help her up. Beca took his hand and straightened up. He was holding Beca by her arm to steady her. Beca twisted a little, checking her shirt.

"I think I tore my shirt!" Beca gasped out laughing. "How did that happened?"

"Umm...I was trying to stop you from falling -" Jesse tried to explain. "- Must have grabbed your shirt by accident."

"Oh my god!" Beca exclaimed, wiping her tears away. "I should really stop wearing clothes around you. You'll just ruined them."

"Yeah," Jesse said smiling, his voice a husky whisper. "Yeah, I think you should."

Jesse didn't know how he made that leap. One moment, he was looking down at her laughing face beneath him, her lips inches away and the next he had his lips on hers. Her tempting mouth, coupled with that very same words she said at the bar: he just could not resist. And now he was kissing her and holding her close by her waist. She tasted as intoxicating as he remembered.

He drew back, breaking the kiss when he realised where they were.

She would be furious.

She would slap him so hard.

Jesse tried to let her go. He should apologise and make it his life mission never to cross paths with Beca Mitchell again. But her hand was on the back of his neck. Beca was staring up at him now, her blue eyes unfathomable.

"Kiss me again."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Kiss me again."

She didn't have to ask twice.

The moment his mouth was on hers, it was like a struck match to gasoline. That heady rush, that streak of heat, that inevitable combustion. All the pent up sexual tension that had build and build and build between them exploding into a mess of hands, tongues and mouths.

He had backed her into the nearest cabinet. The metallic thump of her back hitting the cabinet rang in the room but they were deaf to it. He was pushing her up against the smooth surface, still kissing her hungrily, hips pinning her in place. For once, Beca was glad for the coolness of the metal behind her. She felt like she was burning. The way his mouth was dominating hers. The feel of his hands sliding up her sides underneath her shirt. The hardness of his body pressing into her, showing, without any shadow of doubt, just how much he wanted her.

She couldn't breathe in the sweetest possible way.

He was stealing her air with all his kisses. Deep. Erotic. Tongue delving into her mouth. Teeth biting. She kissed him back just as fiercely, her hand now slipping behind his neck, pulling him closer. His hands were now cupping her breasts and his fingers were clawing almost painfully into the soft flesh. Beca hissed out at that sweet pain, gripping onto his shoulders tight

"Sorry," Jesse mumbled. He reluctantly drew back. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," she breathed out, catching his lower lip and he mashed his mouth against hers again.

His head was swimming. God, she was intoxicating. He could hardly stop himself, let alone think straight. His mind and body were making so many demands that he could hardly cope. He wanted to devour yet savour her at the same time. He wanted to tear off her clothes and enter her and fuck her senseless yet he wanted to taste every inch of her and hear her moan and see her unravel and lost control underneath him.

He should really slow this down.

With great effort, Jesse pulled his lips away from that delicious spot on her neck. Her eyes were closed, her mouth panting, her skin flushing red.

"We..we should go for dinner," Jesse mumbled. "Or..talk..or..."

He gave up and kissed her again.

"What are you saying?" Beca murmured in between his kisses.

"Dinner," he panted against her lips. "..or a date..before...you know.. "

Beca drew back, looking at him quizzically, "What are you? A girl?"

Jesse chuckled at that. And then grind himself against her.

That gasp from her came out of nowhere.

"Does that answer your question?" Jesse whispered huskily, grinning down wickedly at her.

His thumbs found her sensitive nipples underneath the lace of her bra and swiped across. Beca's eyes dilated in response, her breath turning into a moan at the rough feel of the lace and his thumbs. Jesse was pushing her shirt up, revealing her perfect chest in a pretty lacy bra and he had to stop and stare. It had been dark in that alley; he didn't see her breasts in their full glory.

He groaned at the sight, thinking how he had jerked off more than once at the thought of her breasts; how they felt, how they tasted, how they bounced when she danced. Now they were in his hands, all soft and creamy and heavy, barely restrained in this sexy, lacy bra and Jesse wasted no time bending his dark head over them.

Beca inhaled sharply at the way his mouth was pulling at her nipple.

She wanted him to take her there and then.

She wanted him to peel off her jeans and panties and shoved himself hard into her. He would stretched her with his size, even as wet as she was now and she would probably cry out in pain. But it would be such an exquisite torment. That rough, hard thrust into her that would stoke and stir and feed this raging fire in her belly.

She wanted him to thrust into her hard and fast. Again and again. That cabinet behind her would thump repeatedly at each hard thrust; the metallic sound echoing in that room. Not that she would not hear any of it. She would be screaming so hard at each thrust, telling him not to stop.

Beca was impatient for all that now.

She pushed him away from her chest and Jesse grumbled in protest. He soon shut up when she slid down against the cabinet, her fingers unbuckling his belt and drawing his zip down. He moaned his thanks; his jeans was getting far too tight and this was a relief. When her hand stroked his erection over his boxers, Jesse couldn't help but rub himself into her hand. And when she slipped her hand in and he felt her soft palm against him, Jesse had to lean one arm against the cabinet to stay upright.

He closed his eyes, groaning.

How did she know how to do this?

How did she knew how to stroke him just so? How to hold him in her hand; not too tight yet firm. How to dance her fingers over the head and just underneath; touching, skimming all over his sensitive spots. Everything she did with her hand felt fantastic. And the best thing was, this was just a prelude. He remembered that her mouth felt a hundred times better than this. And how would it feel if he was insider her? Jesse grew harder at the thought.

He had to touch her now.

He impatiently unbutton her jeans, running his fingers across the waistband of her panties before slipping his hand in. Touching that dampness in between her legs Jesse nearly swore out loud. She was sopping wet; slick and slippery. And now she was moaning against his neck, pressing harder against his fingers, asking for more. He pushed his hand deeper, rubbing against her and her hips jerked against him.

Her head fell back against the cabinet, eyes closed, even, white teeth biting her lower lip. Jesse teased her more, gently digging his fingers in, thumb strumming against her. A slight wail slipped out from her lips as she tried to grind herself harder against his hand.

"Don't come yet, baby," he whispered. " I wanna eat you out."

He was tugging her jeans down, kissing down her neck, wanting to kiss down her chest and stomach when her hands stopped him.

"No." Beca panted raggedly against his ear. "Fuck me now."

As if having her panting against him like this was not enough to drive him insane. Those three words nearly finished him. He carried her to the nearest table, nearly slamming her down. Beca fell back panting as he gripped the waistband off her jeans, nearly ripping it away in his haste. She kicked off her shoes as her jeans were peeled off. He was standing over her, eyes hooded, staring down at her.

"Condom?" she asked.

"Here."

Beca sat up and took the foiled pack that he magicked out of somewhere. She locked her eyes on his as she wrapped her hand round his hardness, stroking it just as he liked it. Jesse steadied himself by holding on to her, his eyes burning into hers. He heard the foil ripping and the next, he felt her hands stroking him again, before rolling the condom down. She was ready and he had been more than ready. Then some stupid part of him reared its head.

"Are you sure about this?" Jesse murmured, hands on her thighs.

Beca stopped.

"Do you not want this?" came her reply.

Jesse groaned out with mounting frustration.

Did he not want this?

Did he not fucking want this?

Did he fuck.

All he could think all these weeks and months, seeing her, watching her, was how good it would be to touch her, to be with her. Despite all the warning signs. Despite all his good sense screaming at him NOT to get entangle with someone this close to work, he still wanted her.

How could he not want this?

"You have no idea how much I need you. " Jesse confessed.

His fingers scraped down her thighs.

"It's complicated," Jesse continued, his breath puffing on her cheek. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent. She smelled wonderful. Like sex. She reeked of sex. "I can't really do this."

Beca sighed.

"I know. Aubrey's my friend. We shouldn't do this."

She was trying to wiggle out from his grasp and Jesse held on to her tighter.

"What does Aubrey have to do with this?" Jesse said.

"She's your girlfriend." she deadpanned. "Of course you don't want to cheat on her."

"Aubrey's not my girlfriend." Jesse replied. "I've been trying to tell you that for ages."

Beca blinked.

She grasped his locks with her fingers and pulled his head forcibly from her neck until her blue eyes were staring into his.

"Aubrey's not your girlfriend?"

"No."

Her stare was unflinching.

"Then I want you to fuck me right here, right now." Beca said. She pulled his head down; her lips skimmed across his stubbly cheek up to his ear. "And when we are done, I want you to fuck me again. Do you understand?"

He jerked her so hard against him that Beca slammed into his chest. His hand drew her head closer and he kissed her hard. His hands were now running down her back and roughly pulling her hips forward towards the edge of the table.

And that was how he took her.

Hot mouth on hers, hands anchored on her hips, his hard dick rubbing against her. Jesse leant forward, driving hard into her and she screamed in ecstasy. At that invading hardness now stretching her and filling her and pounding into her, until she could not breath. She was on her back on that smooth table, her ass almost hanging off the edge, being mercilessly fucked by this man and all Beca could do was to dig her fingers into his arms, his back, anywhere that she could hold on to.

Jesse could not think anymore.

Nothing mattered. Nothing but this need to keep fucking her.

He was aware of nothing and everything at once. At the softness of her body underneath him, at the sweet, searing pain of her nails raking into his skin, at the gasps and cries coming out of her. Her insides so tight and sweet and slick, gripping his dick, sucking him in.

He raised himself up, hooking her left leg up, pressing even deeper into her and both of them grunted with pleasure. He could not hold on much longer. Not when it was this good, this incredible, this fucking amazing.

"Harder. Oh god, fuck me harder."

The table shifted at each hard thrust, the metal feet screeching against the floor.

"Fuck!"

And she was clawing deep into his back.

And she was swearing.

And writhing and gasping and unravelling underneath him.

Beca suddenly stiffened, gasping into his ear before falling, shuddering over the edge, clenching unbearably tight around him.

And then he was lost.

* * *

She was the first to hear the knocks on the outer door.

"Someone's here." Beca said urgently. Jesse was still slumped over her, trying to catch his breath.

Beca pushed him away, ducked out from underneath him and was dressed at lightning speed. Jesse slowly straightened up, jeans round his knees. His head was still fuzzy from that hard orgasm he had just minutes ago. He stood uncomprehending until he heard the outer door being opened and someone calling out from the other room.

"Hello! Anyone there?"

"Louie! About time!" Beca called out, quickly pulling her hair into a ponytail before striding towards the exit. She was giving Jesse a few moments to collect himself and he tidied himself up, getting rid of the condom before following her back to the other room. Louie, the security guard, was standing by the vestibule and Beca was talking to him. They both turned to look at Jesse as he came into view.

"I got all your messages being trapped," Louie laughed out, eyes crinkling at the corners."That boy locked you in?"

"Yep. Kicked the box aside." Beca nodded in the affirmative.

"My fault. Totally mine," Jesse piped up, running his hand through his hair

"Why do you both look so messy?" Louie's asked, a knowing smile creasing his face. Both Beca and Jesse coloured at that question and both hastily tried to explain.

"We tried opening the vent in the other room -"

"-Thought we could get out that way -

"- that vent was hard to hold on to -"

"- and then we fell over. It was dusty -

Their words were tumbling out in confusion. Louie just laughed. "Ok. Ok. I believe you. Good thing you didn't go out that way. That vent goes nowhere."

Beca was giving Jesse a murderous look.

"Now," Louie was saying. "Do you want me to let you out or should I leave you two kids in here?"

"Out. Please let me out," Beca quickly said. "I'll get my things."

She brushed past Jesse as she went past. By the time Jesse collected his wits about him and took his stuff, both Beca and Louie were already waiting by the doorway. They rode the elevator up from the basement with Beca chatting to Louie easily, asking about his wife and grandchildren. Jesse did not know what to do next. He tried catching her eye but she was resolutely not looking at him.

"Ok, here's my stop. See you kids around," Louie said, when they reached the ground floor.

Beca was ready to leave when Jesse made up his mind.

"Beca, can I talk to you for a sec?"

She stopped. At least she stopped. Louie was grinning widely before ambling away. As soon as he was out of sight, Jesse's hand was on her arm, pulling her into the next corridor.

"Don't go," he said urgently. "Have dinner with me. Or something. Just don't go."

She was chewing her bottom lip, her gaze resting on him.

"I've got a bunch of things to do," she started. "Supposed to meet Amy - "

"Cancel it." Jesse said, stepping closer, running his hand up her arm. "Come over my place."

His head buzzed like he had one too many. Did he just asked her back to his place? He never asked any of his hook ups over before. Both of their phones picked up reception and started ringing loudly. Beca picked hers up, stepping a few feet away.

"Amy? Yeah, I'm fine. Louie let me out - "

Jesse answered his.

"- Aubrey, hey. Yes, it's ok. I got out -"

His eyes were still on Beca as he listened to Aubrey freaking out over the phone. Beca was rubbing her temples now, still talking to Amy. He should really end this conversation with Aubrey. Beca was already walking away towards the exit, ear still glued to the phone, not even turning back to say goodbye.

"- Bree, I gotta go. We'll talk Monday - ".

Aubrey was protesting loudly but Jesse immediately cut the call, his feet already running after Beca.

"Jesse! Thank goodness! You made it out!"

Jesse stopped in his tracks. Benji had walked round the corner and was now standing in front of him. He looked a little winded like he had rushed to get there and his face was fraught with worry.

"Bro, I got your messages. Are you ok?" Benji asked. "How did you get out?"

"Security let me out," Jesse answered, eyes still peeled for Beca. She had moved so quickly, nearly at the exit now and Benji was in his way. He couldn't just push Benji aside and run after Beca; not when Benji had rushed over to help him.

"Sorry I didn't answer your call earlier." Benji apologised. "Had my phone switched off,"

Jesse could see her by the main doors and then a moment later, like a faint shadow, Beca disappeared.

"You ok, bro?" Benji said, looking at him questioning. "You don't look ok."

Of course he was not.

He was not ok.

Jesse reluctantly turned back to Benji.

"No, I'm fine," he lied through his teeth. Jesse took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. "You know what? I'm just hungry. Do you want to get something to eat?"

* * *

**Beca's apartment**

"No, I'll be fine. You don't have to come over." Beca cradled her phone in between her shoulder and ear as she fished her keys out of her bag.

"Are you sure? Amy said you cancelled on her," Stacie's voice sounded worried over the phone. "Were you trapped for hours? Did you get a panic attack?"

Beca unlocked the various padlocks on the door before inserting a key into the keyhole. She gingerly opened the door and quickly jammed her leg in the gap before Snowball could make his escape.

"I'm home now. No need to worry," Beca mumbled into the phone, bending over to pick up Snowball. He was mewing in her face. "I'm just going to chill out tonight."

"Call me if you need me," Stacie said.

"I will. Bye, babe."

Beca ended the call and tiredly pushed the door close behind her. She leaned back against the door, closing her eyes and hugging Snowball close. She stayed like that for some time, just finding comfort in hugging her cat. The fat cat purred and flexed his claws into her bosom and Beca smiled. Her cat was bossy and spoilt but she loved him.

"Have you eaten, sweetie? Do you want something nice tonight?" Beca murmured, walking from the hallway into the kitchen. She settled Snowball on the counter before opening a cupboard and reaching out for a can of cat food. Snowball mewed impatiently as Beca opened the can and emptied it into his feeding bowl.

She watched as her cat ate and then Beca rooted round the fridge, trying to find something to eat. Something that did not involve cooking or using more than one pan or one plate. The fridge was forlornly empty of any goodies. Chloe had a fit of healthy eating lately and there were just sad looking salads and soy milk and lots of beers.

Beca grimaced at the non-choice available to her and slammed the fridge door shut.

She needed to shower.

Yes. Shower.

She was still wearing her damp panties.

And she could still smell Jesse Swanson all over her. It was not unpleasant. In fact it was downright sexy but it reminded her that she had just let him fuck her on a table at the Archives not an hour ago. Beca stripped off and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water blast down on her. She shut her eyes and turned her face towards the showerhead. By instinct, she reached for the shower pouf, squirt some gel and started lathering.

Her body was still thrumming from the amazing sex she had just now.

Beca ran her hands down from her neck down to her chest, soaping her breasts and then her tummy and legs with the soapy pouf.

Just now had been mind-blowing.

What devil had possessed her to have sex with Jesse Swanson? She could not believe it actually happened. No, scratch that. It finally happened. That sexual tension had been building up for so long and it finally happened. She had not been a nun these past few months but just now had been the best she had for some time. Hell, it must be the best she had. Period. The hungry way he had kissed her and touched her and oh god, the hard way he was thrusting herself into her.

Beca closed her eyes and slipped her hand in between her legs. She rubbed her fingers against herself and in the next moment, she shuddered her release, one hand holding onto the wet tiles. She shook her head in disbelief - she was still so turned on. No doubt if they had not been interrupted, she would have rode him hard for seconds.

But it was Jesse Swanson.

100% dick Jesse Swanson.

And it was at work.

Beca chastised herself for being such a slut, for not stopping herself.

This was bad. This was very, very bad.

After the debacle with Daniel Meade, she had swore she would not ever, ever hooked up with anyone at work. It was just too complicated. She barely made it out after the fall out from Daniel leaving her and that depression from... Beca sighed, pushing up the lever for more hot water. She did not want to think about that. The water was scalding but she shut her eyes and let it run over her.

No, she would just stay out of his way.

This was just a one off.

They were trapped in that place, she felt vulnerable, he had been kind and sweet. And hot. Definitely hot. She did manage to resist him afterwards, didn't she? When he had asked her to stay, to come over his apartment, looking at her with those irresistible brown eyes? She did say no.

Maybe now she had gotten it out of the system, it would be fine.

Yes, that's it. She had fucked him and she didn't want him anymore.

Beca Mtichell was 100% certain of that.

* * *

**Chinatown**

"Jesse?"

Benji was staring at his friend who was now staring into space, one hand idly stirring his rice around his bowl with his chopsticks. The restaurant was busy and loud, diners were jostling for some elbow room in that small space and waiters were weaving in and out of the tables, bringing one hot plate after another. It was a popular haunt; cheap and cheerful, packed to the gills and noisy but Jesse seem to be oblivious to the noise. For someone who said he was hungry just now, Jesse hardly touched the food they ordered. He did not even hear Benji calling his name.

"Jesse?"

Benji tried again, lightly tapping his bowl.

"Hmm?"

Jesse shook his head like he was trying to clear his head before focusing on Benji.

"You ok, bro?" Benji asked.

"Yeah."

"You are zoning out." Benji said, narrowing his eyes.

"Am I?" Jesse said, sounding dazed. He seemed to realise that there was food in front of him and tried eating some of the General Tso chicken they ordered.

"What's bothering you?" Benji said. He had not seen Jesse this distracted for a long time. Usually Jesse was frighteningly focused.

"Work," Jesse lied smoothly.

Well, it was half a lie. Jesse was still wondering why Beca blew off cold like that. She had been so hot, so responsive under his hands and he wanted nothing than to stay with her. His knees still felt a little weak. God, it was so hot just now. And even now thinking how she told him to fuck her, how she writhed and unravel under him, Jesse felt his jeans getting tight again.

But she then stalked away without as much as a goodbye and it had left him reeling.

No.

Perhaps this was for the best.

It was complicated and he was being so stupid, letting his dick win yet again.

It was for the best.

He didn't have her number. H&amp;H was a big place. He could stay out of her way and put this behind him.

_Yeah. Just stay out her way and do your job, Swanson._

"Jesse, you are zoning out again."

Benji's voice jolted him back again. He was staring him again and Jesse quickly cleared his throat.

"Sorry. Got a lot on my mind," he apologised. Jesse smiled uncertainly at Benji. Should he talked about Beca to Benji? He was a good friend and back in college, when they were roomies, Jesse had always confided in him. But Benji had warned him off her earlier. He should really try to find out why.

"Hey, thanks for coming up to rescue me." Jesse said. "Sorry if I wasted your time."

"No charge." Benji took another swig of the Tsingtao beer before saying. Something was bothering Jesse; that much he knew. "So you are not hungry?"

"Hmm? What?"

"Plenty of food here, Jesse." Benji said, waving his hands over the food on the table.

Jesse stared down at the food, now going a little cold.

"No. Not hungry," Jesse replied, putting down his chopsticks. "Listen, sorry to drag you all the way here. I think I'm just going to head home. Pack some food and eat it later."

"Ok."

They called the petite waitress over and Jesse ordered more food to takeaway on top of the stuff left on their plates. They finished their beers waiting for their orders. Jesse paid the bill, despite Benji protesting and once they were out on the pavement, Jesse wandered off after saying goodbye.

Benji stared at Jesse's departing back, now disappearing into the stairs leading down to the subway. He frowned for a moment, thinking before taking out his phone and scrolling through his contacts. He pressed on one and waited for the call to be picked up.

"Donald? Hey, it's Benji." Benji listened to his old friend's cheerful voice. He sounded as smooth as ever. "Yeah, everything's fine. How's LA?... Yeah, Jesse's doing fine... He's not been calling you?...Oh."

Benji turned that information over and over in his mind. Jesse and Donald were always tight yet he had not called Donald? Perhaps work was really getting to him.

"Bro, when you coming over to New York?" Benji said. "I think Jesse need you."

* * *

That shower felt good.

That was what she needed.

Beca stepped of the shower, toweled herself dry before rubbing some lotion into her skin. She shrugged on a bathrobe, debating whether she should blow dry her hair. Maybe she should order a pizza first before doing that. She dried her hair with a towel whilst making her way out to the living room, searching for her phone.

The pizza place was on her speed dial and before long, Beca was speaking to Gino, ordering her pizza.

Hmm? Pepperoni or Hawaiian?

Ah what the heck. Chloe, the pineapple hater, wasn't here. Beca ordered Hawaiian.

Beca was about to return back to the bedroom and dry her hair when her phone rang. She saw the caller ID, swallowed hard and picked up the call. "Hey."

"Beca Mitchell! Why didn't you call me?"

Beca rubbed her temples, hearing the ear-splitting sound of her roommate shrieking down the phone.

"Hey Chloe. How's your show?"

"Never mind my show. Stacie and Amy rang me saying you were locked in!" Chloe was not to be sidetracked. "What happened? Why didn't you call me? Were you alone? Did you get a panic attack?"

"Whoa there. One question at a time please."

"Are you alright?" Chloe sounded so worried. "Are the girls with you?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. The girls are not here."

"Call someone over. You shouldn't be alone. I'll come back early tomorrow."

Honestly. Beca was a grown woman and the girls were treating her like she was five.

"Chlo, stop overreacting, ok? I'm perfectly fine."

"But you were trapped for hours, Beca! All alone!"

Hmm. Not entirely.

But she couldn't tell Chloe that.

"Look, I'm ok. I got pizza coming and after that, I'm going to bed, ok?"

Chloe shut up for a minute and Beca could almost hear her thinking.

"You ordered Hawaiian, didn't you?" Chloe said accusingly and then both of them chortled. The doorbell rang and Beca buzzed the door open.

"Yeah, I ordered Hawaiian, Miss Pineapple-hater and I am going to enjoy every last juicy pineappley bite," Beca said. "It's here now. I've just buzzed Gino up."

"Euww, gross, Beca. Ugh, I can almost taste that stupid pineapple."

Beca heard the knock on her door.

"Gotta go. Gonna make love to my pineapple pizza."

"Becaaaaaa. Arghh mental image!"

Beca was laughing at Chloe gagging over the phone as she undid the various locks on the door.

"Oooh Mr pineapple, you are so hot and... prickly."

"I am going to end this call now!" Chloe said, sounding distressed. "I can hear that you are more than ok."

Beca laughed out again, hearing Chloe ending the call in a huff. Her hand turned the doorknob and she opened the door. That laugh died in her throat as she gaped openly at the sight before her.

"You are not my pineapple pizza," Beca stuttered, not entirely certain she was not hallucinating.

Jesse Swanson was leaning at her doorway, smiling down nervously at her.

"Hi."

* * *

**AN :** _Sorry I took so long with this one. I've rewritten this so many times because the pace was all wrong and I was over thinking the smut. Here's my imperfect chapter. Incidentally I love pineapples on my pizza. Don't kill me._

_Shout out **Sweet-Blasphemy-Mely** and **Tigerlady81** who left such lovely reviews. Thank you for all your follows and lovely PMs. My heart is swelling like a balloon. Love you._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Hi"

Beca was still gaping at him at the doorway and Jesse began to wonder whether coming over to her place was a good idea. It seemed like one at the restaurant just now. He couldn't get her out of his mind and Jesse knew he would toss and turn all night if he didn't see her again. He remembered where she lived. It wasn't that far from H&amp;H and Jesse found himself automatically making his way there. But now standing here in the cold light of the corridor, with Beca Mitchell dressed in a bathrobe, staring up at him, Jesse wasn't so sure.

"What are you doing here?" Beca finally found her voice. She didn't sound hostile; more like incredulous. Jesse had one hand on the door frame and his fingers restlessly scratched its surface. What was he doing here? What was he thinking coming all the way here?

"I had to see you."

Beca frowned at his confession, thinking it over.

"You can see me at work on Monday."

Jesse merely shook his head.

"Not soon enough."

They were standing staring at each other, unsure what to do or say next. The impasse was broken by a loud meow. Snowball had bolted out and was now rubbing himself against Jesse's leg, purring. He made no move to pick the cat up, eyes still on Beca.

"May I come in?...umm...I thought you might be hungry..." Jesse continued, lifting the bag of food he had in his other hand. _P__lease say something. Please say I can come in. Or not. Just say something. Please._

Beca's gaze fell to the sight of her cat being a turncoat, miaowing at Jesse's feet and then to the proffered food. It did smelled delicious. Then, embarrassingly, her tummy gave a loud rumble. Jesse was stifling his smile at the sound and Beca scowled even deeper.

"You've got egg rolls?" she asked, head cocked to one side.

"Yep." Jesse rustled through the bag. "Mushu pork, chicken chow mien, egg fried rice. I'm not sure where you are with vegetables so I got two. And fortune cookies. Extra fortune cookies. And a chilled bottle of white."

Beca nodded like he passed a test.

"Ok, you can come in," Beca said. Jesse was smiling now and Beca held up her hand imperiously stopping him in his tracks. "Just because you brought food, ok? And wine."

"Sure."

He picked up Snowball who was now on his hind legs, clawing at him and followed Beca into her apartment. She made a beeline into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her, leaving Jesse in the living room.

Beca hurriedly rifled through her drawers, pulled on her underwear, a pair of sweatpants, tshirt and hoodie. She switched on the hairdryer, drying her hair as quick as she could before brushing and braiding it. By the time she came back into the living room, Jesse had unpacked all the food and was now looking at her photographs with Snowball flopping contentedly over his shoulder.

Jesse turned round on hearing her.

"Hey, your pizza's here"

They both stared at the food on the coffee table.

"That is a LOT of food," Beca said. She made a move to her bag. "Let me get you the money for all this."

Jesse looked offended as he sat down on the sofa with Snowball snuggled up beside him. "Can you just sit down and eat? It's my treat."

"Dude, there's no need to do all this," Beca said.

"Do what?" Jesse answered distractedly. He was busy lifting the lids of the takeaway boxes and peering inside.

"We had sex already, " Beca said. "You don't have to wine and dine me."

Jesse stopped what he was doing and stared blankly at her. She was exasperating. Seriously. He was about to tear his hair out now.

"Can we just have a nice meal together?" Jesse shot back, glaring at her. "I just want to sit down and spend some time with you and talk. Is that so hard?"

She was still standing behind that armchair like it was a defensive fort. Beca chewed her lower lip, looking at him speculatively. Dressed in her sweats, freshly showered, face free of makeup and with that cute braid, she looked about seventeen.

Jesse just sighed in defeat. "Fine. It makes me feel better, ok? Like I am not just using you for sex. I have to buy you a meal. There. Now will you sit down and eat?"

Beca raised an eyebrow but at least she was now lowering herself into the armchair and reaching out for one of the boxes. Jesse offered her a pair of chopsticks which she took before digging into the noodles.

"I'm worth more than a poxy meal,"she mumbled in between mouthfuls of noodles. "And who says I'm not using YOU for sex?"

Jesse didn't know whether he should laugh or be offended. It was quite funny though. And then he caught that smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"I really don't know what to do with you," he said, shaking his head, smiling. It was true. She was an enigma. He had never been so wrong footed by a woman this many times before.

They are in companionable silence. Jesse was polishing off the egg fried rice, suddenly feeling really hungry. Just watching Beca enjoying her food had made his appetite come back. She ate with glorious abandon, smiling and appreciating every morsel with every bite. Ever so often, the tip of her tongue will dart out, swiping across her lips. Jesse was fascinated. She looked like she really enjoyed her food. Most girls he went out with ate like birds; picking at everything with disdain, like that stupid, expensive salad was going to hurt them.

Beca was now moving on to the pizza and Jesse had to laugh at the almost orgasmic look on her face as she bit into a slice.

"What? Why are you laughing?" Beca scowled at him before taking another huge bite of that cheesy slice. She pulled the pizza so the cheese strung out and actually moaned as she chewed.

"Wow! Do you want me to give you two some privacy?" Jesse teased. "I swear that slice is giving you a better orgasm than I did."

"Eh. Just now wasn't that great," Beca scoffed. It was an obvious lie and Jesse hid his smile behind the takeaway box he was eating from. Beca was licking her grease-covered fingers slowly which he did not missed at all. She then gave Jesse a disparaging look.

"Dude, you're a noob so I'll forgive you," she said, eyes serious. "This is not just any other pizza. This is a handmade, all fresh Gino pizza. I challenge you to take a bite without groaning."

Jesse inspected the Hawaiian pizza. Really, it did not look anything special. He had many a pizza before. No way this ordinary looking pizza was THAT good.

"What are the stakes?" he asked, putting down his food and cracking his fingers. Oh, he was up for this.

"Take one bite without groaning and name your prize." Beca said, eyes bright.

"That confident, huh? You might not like what I want for a prize."

Beca shrugged.

"What if I did groan at first bite?" Jesse asked, reaching for a slice.

"You let me pay for this whole thing and go back to being uncomfortable."

Jesse rolled his eyes. She was a nightmare.

"Fine. Let's do this."

Jesse took a slice and looked at it carefully. Hmm, not bad. Good topping to base ratio. Nice wood-fired oven crust. Good cheese. It was now down to the tomato sauce. Jesse took a big bite. Beca was looking at him expectantly. As the flavours burst into his mouth, Jesse clamped his lips tight, seeming to struggle and Beca was grinning victoriously.

"Fuck. That's good," Jesse mumbled, mouth full of pizza. He chewed and swallowed, looking utterly gobsmacked. "That's the best pie I've ever eaten."

"Hah! What did I tell you?"Beca crowed, punching one fist into the air. She was grinning cheekily now. "I win! Now I'm going to pay for all these. And it's no longer your treat and..."

"Hang on. Hang on." Jesse raised his hand and halted Beca's triumphant speech. "I believe the deal was I had to groan at first bite. I did no such thing. So...technically I win."

Beca's mouth dropped open. She was about to protest when it hit her that he was right. That fucker! He tricked her! And here he was nonchalantly eating a second slice of the pizza , trying to stifle his smile yet again. Jesse seemed terribly unconcerned at the evil looks she was throwing him, looking every inch the winner, munching on _her_ Hawaiian pizza damnit, with her traitor of a cat purring by his side.

"I hate you." Beca mumbled, crossly picking up her noodles and stabbing the slippery morsels with her chopsticks.

* * *

"So you were a flight attendant?"

Beca eyed Jesse a little hazily. They had made steady progress through that bottle of wine, nearly finishing it. The food now lay forgotten. She was still mad at him for tricking her but the wine was dulling that a little. He must be getting a little fuzzy too. What kind of question was that?

"What are you talking about? I was never a trolley dolly."

"But those pics. Of you and Stacie and Amy in that uniform. Is that how y'all meet up? At flight attendant training?" Jesse said, waving a hand at the direction of her photos. "Do people really have sex in the toilets? I think that's really uncomfortable. And unhygienic."

"Dude, stop talking," Beca said. "That was my Barden Bella uniform."

Something seemed to click in Jesse's mind. She was wearing a faded Barden University hoodie.

"You went to Barden?" Jesse said in surprise.

"My dad's a professor there. I got a free ride."

"Wait, you were a Barden Bella? As in Barden Bella acapella group?"

"You heard of us," Beca said smugly.

"Wow. I did not peg you as an acapella girl." Jesse said, raising his eyebrows. He then nodded like it all made sense. "But that explains it."

"Explain what?"

"Why you sing so well." Jesse replied, smiling so wide his dimples were showing. "Man, why don't you do that for a living? You are that good."

Beca shrugged her delicate shoulders before tipping the last dregs of wine into her mouth.

"I wanted to be a music producer but life happens, you know," Beca said. The wine was loosening her tongue. "My dad made me enrolled in journalism and mass communication. The rest is history. It's cool."

Jesse nodded. His eyes stopped at the piano.

"Do you play?" he asked, jerking his head at the piano.

Beca sighed. "No, it came with the apartment and we only used it to hide a hole in the wall. Of course I play, you idiot."

"Play me something?" Jesse asked, his brown eyes going all soft like a puppy.

"You want me to play you something?" Beca said, quirking an eyebrow. "Is that the prize you wanna claim for tricking me?"

"Whoa, let's not get hasty here," Jesse said, sitting up so suddenly he dislodged Snowball from his lap. "Firstly, I won fair and square. And secondly...nah, I don't think I want to squander my prize that way."

"Dude, just name it," Beca said impatiently. "Just as long as it's not world peace or something cheesy like that."

"Hmm. I have to think long and hard about this. I don't think a chance like this comes very often," Jesse scratched his stubbly jaw thoughtfully. His lips curved into a teasing smile. "Maybe I should ask for it when you least expect it."

Beca rolled her eyes. He was clearly milking it.

"Whatever dude."

* * *

She was giggling. Why she was giggling? Beca peered hazily through this wine-induced fog around her head to look into Jesse's face. Oh. It was fine. He was giggling too. What were they talking about? Gnomes? Something about gnomes? And London?

Whatever it was, it was funny.

Somehow they were on their second bottle of wine. She found one and they had talked and laughed and drank. The wine was making her feel a little warm and she had shrugged off her hoodie.

"Dude, you've been pumping me for info for the last hour," Beca said, waving her glass and nearly spilling her drink. "It's your turn now."

Jess laughed, settled back deeper into the sofa and gazed at her. He looked relaxed in just his jeans and tshirt, hair a bit mussed now. Beca liked the way he looked. He looked hot in a suit; that was true but she liked the way his tshirt clung on to his chest and arms.

"I'm not that interesting," Jesse said, lazily stroking Snowball who was parked on his chest.

"Seriously? You can say that?" Beca croaked out. "You just waltzed into H&amp;H months ago. No one knows who you are. No one knows what you do. And you are everywhere. What is that?"

Jesse waved the question away. "It's nothing."

"And what have you done to my cat?" Beca was saying now. "He doesn't like people and look at him now. Are you sure you don't have catnip in your pockets?"

Jesse gave Snowball a chin rub and the cat purred appreciatively.

"He likes me. I am quite a likeable guy." Jesse shrugged. "Except when I had too much to drink. No, don't top up!"

Beca was about to pour the rest of the bottle when Jesse stopped her.

"Don't," he repeated, hand on her wrist. "I'm a dick when I'm drunk. And I don't want to be a dick around you right now."

"Too late." Beca said as she poured the wine into his glass with flourish.

"Why, Miss Mitchell, I think you are trying to get me drunk."

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't know. Maybe you want to take advantage of me?" Jesse laughed, running his hand up her arm, brushing softly against the side of her breast.

Beca snorted, which turned into a giggle. She shook her head, squinting her eyes at him. "I should have known Aubrey's not your girlfriend," Beca said. "I spent a year working with her at RUNWAY. We shared some serious shit but she never mentioned a boyfriend before."

Jesse released her arm, all traces of his slight drunkenness gone.

"You worked with Aubrey? At RUNWAY?"

Beca frowned. "Yep. I told you before."

"I thought it was elsewhere."

"Nope. Just for a year at RUNWAY. I was Cassandra Harris' second PA. Aubrey does all her personal stuff and her diary. I do whatever's left."

Jesse was quiet for a moment, concentrating on rubbing Snowball's belly, but Beca did not miss the change in atmosphere. Jesse gave Snowball one last belly rub before gently putting him on the floor. The feline meowed loudly, asking to be picked up but Jesse was already piling up the empty cartons on the table.

"It's getting late. Let me help you clear up and I'll be on my way."

* * *

Jesse slowly pulled on his jacket and felt his pockets. Yep, he got everything. Keys, wallet, phone. Was there anything else he forget? Didn't think so. He drew out his phone, checking through his calls and messages. Did he missed any?

No, he did not. He was just stalling. He knew he was.

It did not take too long to clear all the boxes and bottles, bringing them to the bin in the kitchen. She had bossily told him where to throw them, where to put the empty bottles and where to wash his hands.

The kitchen was tiny. They were sidestepping each other and there was a moment when he had accidentally boxed her in against the sink. He was standing too close when she turned and their bodies brushed briefly. They both broke into embarrassed chuckles, feeling a little awkward.

Jesse pocketed his phone. It was late. He should go.

"Thanks for the food," Beca spoke up. She was just two feet away, crossing her arms over her chest. Her hands were rubbing her bare arms which were covered in goosebumps.

"Thanks for letting me come in," Jesse replied. "You could have easily slam the door in my face."

"Dude, you brought food," Beca said, a half smile tugging on the corner of her mouth. "Besides, I had a good time."

"You did?" His smile could lit up the room.

"Yeah. It wasn't half bad," she smiled up at him. "Although you did tricked me."

"You are such a sore loser." Jesse exclaimed. He narrowed his eyes at her and then laughed.

"What? I like winning," Beca bleated, frowning up at him.

"No. You got something on your mouth," Jesse said. "Do you always eat this sloppily?"

He didn't wait for an answer and reached down to wipe off that smear just under her bottom lip. His thumb skated across her soft lip and stopped a fraction too long at the corner. Jesse was staring at his thumb pressing lightly on her lip. Her mouth parted ever so slightly and she took his thumb in between her even white teeth, the tip of her tongue brushing softly against it.

He breathed in sharply, pressing his thumb further in, skin scraping against her teeth. Her hand flew up to hold his and her eyes gazing up at him were pure fire.

His mouth was on her the next second; his teeth now biting on that fetching bottom lip, hands cradling her face. That heady, heady taste of her mouth. He could not get enough. Her arms snaked round his waist, holding on to him tight and he was making her walk backwards. Both of them already knew where this was leading too.

"This is such a bad idea," Beca mumbled in between their sloppy kisses, hands busy pushing his jacket off.

"Mmm hmm," Jesse agreed, lips still on her, impatiently shrugging his jacket off and dropping it on the floor. Her hands were now underneath his tshirt. That followed his jacket in an instant. "Such a bad idea."

"We work in the same place." She moaned into his mouth as he tugged at her tshirt. He let go of her lips and Beca pulled off her shirt.

"Yeah, it's going to get messy, " he mumbled, drawing her closer, one hand feeling for the hook of her bra.

"So messy." Beca said, helping him unsnap her bra. He tore that piece of clothing away and pulled her flushed against him. The feel of her bare breasts against his chest made both of them groan out loud. He was holding her tight against him, cased in his arms, one hand gripping her hair at the nape as he kissed her deeply.

When he finally let her go, Beca was panting against him. "You think we shouldn't do this?"

"Technically we're not at work," he reasoned, hands cupping her breasts and squeezing them. Beca hummed in agreement, closing her eyes at the feel of his fingers on her nipples. Her hand stroke his hard on through his jeans. He moaned briefly before saying unsteadily. "And it's the weekend."

"But you said it's complicated," Beca breathed out, fingers unbuckling his belt. Jesse toed off his shoes and she pushed his jeans down.

"Yes, it is." Jesse stepped out of his jeans, swept her up into his arms and headed towards her bedroom. He pressed her against her bedroom door, kissing her hungrily. Her hand scrambled round behind her for the doorknob and they stumbled inside.

"So you're down for this?" Beca whispered as he lowered her onto the side of the bed and dropped to his knees.

"Only thing I thought of all night," he murmured thickly, kissing and sucking at her neck, hands now tugging at her sweatpants. He wrapped an arm round her waist, raised her up easily and yanked the pants down.

"Me too." Beca confessed.

Jesse stopped for a moment to look at the perfection before him. She was leaning back on her bed, resting on her elbows, in just her lacy black panties, heavy breasts hanging bare, nipples hard and dark pink, her brown hair in a braid over one shoulder. She was looking at him, her blues eyes dark, her lips beestung from all the kisses he had showered on her.

He had never seen anything so sensual, so voluptuous.

She was a carnal masterpiece in the flesh.

Jesse leant forward, pulling lightly on her braid, bringing her mouth mere milimetres from him. "God, you look so sexy," he whispered against her lips. "I've wanted to fuck you since the first time I saw you."

"What took you so long?" she purred back against his.

"Because I'm not supposed to." He pulled a little harder on her braid and she gasped a little, head jerked back, exposing her white throat. His mouth skimmed against that white column, teeth biting into the sensitive flesh. He let go of her hair, hands now working on her breasts.

"So we can't really do this?" Beca gasped out when his hand moved down between them and cupped against her. His fingers and thumb were just so unbearably slow it was maddening.

"No," he whispered huskily into her ear as his fingers delved deep into her. Beca thought the earth shifted as she jerked against his intrusion. His fingers were moving round in shallow circles inside her, hitting her nerves.

"Stop whenever you want," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. She could feel his smile on her heated skin.

"Maybe a while.. longer," he murmured, curling his fingers a little and she came so hard, jolting against his body. His body pressed down on her, his eyes watching her face as she rode her orgasm. She was panting so hard, wiping the back of her hand across her face as the waves of her orgasm receded. Before Beca could completely recover, he was already kissing her hard, his erection pressing into her thigh.

"Condom. Drawer." was all she could managed. He rose up, opened the drawer and smiled at the contents.

"Nice collection you got there," Jesse smirked. Beca forgot she had her vibrators in there. She pulled him down onto the bed and shook her head, smirking back. "Sorry, no show tonight. Too bad."

He laughed, falling onto the bed. She knew what he was thinking of. That was so hot. His boxers were off and his erection sprang free. She was stroking him and was about to lean down when he stopped her.

"No. Your mouth's dangerous," Jesse groaned hard, stilling her. "Please. I need to be inside you now."

Beca nodded, rolled on the condom and she straddled him in the next second. Jesse looked up at the goddess kneeling astride him, one hand guided him against her. She rubbed herself so deliciously against him that he nearly thrust up into her. It took all his control to stay still as she continued to tease him.

"Still a bad idea?" she questioned, slipping him ever so slightly into her. His hands were clenching hard against her thighs. And she sank all the way down, hard. Jesse threw back his head, cursing.

His fingers were digging into her ass. He was so deep inside her, so unbearably deep and tight and sweet. Jesse took a deep gulp of air and opened his eyes.

"So bad." he answered her question, his voice like gravel. "You are so bad for me, baby."

"Hmm." Beca hummed. She raised herself up and sank down on him again almost nonchalantly and he tensed up underneath her. Slowly she rocked against him, a teasing rhythm before stopping.

"Fuck, baby. Move, please," he begged.

And she started riding him, excruciatingly slow at first, building and building that rhythm, that speed until he was crying out. It was not enough. Jesse flipped her over, wanting more now. He drove so hard into her, pining her arms down at the sides of her head, that she gasped out loud. He could not stop any more; that primal beast within him driving him on and on. He didn't want this to end yet he was racing, dying to get to the finish.

Then she cried out his name.

His name.

And Jesse stiffened.

He was at the very edge, that delicious second just before. And then he fell; tumbling, falling, plunging headlong into a mind shattering orgasm. Yet her insides still gripped him tight, pumping him out, demanding everything from him and Jesse yelled out her name.

* * *

**The morning after**

It was Snowball who woke her up. Her cat caterwauling and scratching on her door woke her up. Beca opened one eye, looking at her door and she saw Snowball's paw darting inside. He must be hungry.

"Alright, sweetie. Mommy's coming," Beca called out and the cat was temporarily mollified at the sound of her voice. Beca tried to get up and found she couldn't. She lifted her duvet and found that firstly, she was naked and secondly, Jesse Swanson's arm was lying heavily on top of her. She turned slowly, not wanting to wake him up.

She had to smile.

He looked really peaceful sleeping and that messy locks and morning stubble on him? Totally hot. He must have sensed that she moved because he was slowly waking up, opening his eyes. They gradually focused on her and a lazy smile spread on his face.

"Hey, good morning." he murmured, voice deep and husky. Beca quirked an eyebrow – that sounded sexy as hell.

"Hey," she answered back, trailing a hand up his chest.

He was squinting against the light. "What time is it?"

"Around nine?" Beca answered.

Jesse just hummed, pulling her up against him and nuzzling into her hair. His body clock had woken him up as usual at six a.m. His eyes had flew opened and he was aware where he was. But somehow he did not want to leave. She was curled up, naked beside him and Jesse had pulled her closer. He felt content; satiated and he definitely did not want to leave this warm bed and this amazingly sexy woman who had made his night. Wrapping his arms more securely round her, Jesse had drifted back to sleep.

"Do you need to be somewhere?" Beca mumbled into his neck and Jesse blinked.

"Do you want me to go?" Jesse countered still in that sexy voice of his. His fingers were making lazy trails up and down her back. She was nipping his neck and his dick, already semi hard with morning erection was stirring underneath her.

"Is it still the weekend?" Beca said naughtily sucking on his skin now.

"Sunday." Jesse answered, his hands now massaging her ass. She raised herself up, looking down at him, her breasts hanging enticing in front of him.

"You are so naughty," Jesse said, reaching out to tweak a nipple. He stretched up to take one breast in his mouth, quickly sucking her nipple into a hardened nub before finding her lips and kissing her hard. They broke apart panting and he was already hard.

"One more?" he asked, pulling her legs on either side of his hips, rubbing ever so slightly into her.

She was about to answer when Snowball meowed loudly from the other side of the door. They both laughed at the interruption. Beca got up speedily, throwing on her bathrobe and opening the door. Jesse heard Snowball meowing a little accusingly before the door was shut. He chuckled and was about to pull the duvet over his head when he saw the clock on the side table.

**10.45 a.m.**

He bolted up. Fuck. It was that late?

Beca came back to her bedroom after feeding Snowball to find Jesse standing by her bed in his boxers. He was frantically looking around for the rest of his clothes. Beca gulped a little; forcing that little sliver of disappointment down.

"Umm.. your clothes are in the living room," she said. Jesse looked at her at her gratefully. He remembered now. She turned away, stepped outside and walked back to the kitchen, giving him some privacy to get dressed. Nothing was more awkward than standing around, watching your hook-up desperate to get away.

She busied herself with mixing some pancake batter. She had intended to do a little later. Breakfast in bed after.. you know.. round three but she might as well do them now.

"Beca."

He was at the doorway to the kitchen already dressed. Not even a quick face wash.

"I'm running a little late. I'm so sorry."

He did looked apologetic and Beca nodded. It was just so much easier if she was not a total girl about this. Besides, it was just sex. Good sex but still sex.

"It's fine." Beca said.

He paused like he was about to say something else but Beca quickly cut him off. "You'd better go. Chloe might be home soon and I don't want to explain this."

He looked a little hurt but it was gone in a flash. Jesse just nodded and walked towards the door with Beca following behind. He was about to open the door when Snowball bounded up to him, meowing loudly. Jesse stooped down to stroke the cat.

"Nice meeting you again, Snowball," he mumbled, scratching the cat underneath his chin. Jesse straightened up, facing Beca again. He wanted to kiss her but she had already stepped back. And he felt like a heel, rushing out like this.

"So I see you Monday?"

"Yep."

He wanted to say something else. Something that would tell her how wonderful last night was. That it was the best sex he had. That she was beautiful and sexy and downright amazing. Jesse's eyes searched the room for some inspiration. Beca just caught him staring at the various photos of her girls.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone," she groused.

"What?"

Beca waved her hand at the photos. "I won't tell the girls. They don't approve, anyway. I don't think I want anyone to know."

Seriously? She thought he was worried about that? Jesse felt a stab of anger at that but what could he say? He definitely would not want anyone to know about this.

"Ok. Thanks for that." Jesse said uncomfortably. "So. I'm going. Thank you. Last night was..."

"Dude, just go."

Her hand was already on the door, her face a little bored. Jesse nodded and smiled regretfully at her before stepping outside. Both of them gave each other a curt nod and as soon as he turned away, he heard the door shut behind him. Jesse took a second to breathe deeply before making his way out. Beca was hugging Snowball tight behind the door, thinking she definitely need a huge stack of pancakes right about now.

* * *

**12 noon**

The sleek black Bentley whispered to a halt at the side of the pavement. The chauffeur was about to hop out when Jesse bent over to the passenger side and called out, "No need for that, Jose. I can open my own door." He moved to the back and opened the door, sliding in. As soon as he was in, the car glided away from the pavement.

"Hey beautiful! How's my favourite girl?" Jesse said, leaning to the brunette on the back seat. Cassandra Harris looked up at him, eyes shining.

"Charmer," she said.

"What? Don't I get a kiss?" Jesse said. "You were away in Paris and left me behind and I don't even get a kiss when you're back?"

She laughed, leaning forward now and kissed him on his lips. She took a moment to look at him. He just showered. She could smell that expensive bodywash off him and his brown locks were slightly wet where he didn't dry it out properly, like he was in a hurry. He had shaved too, looking sharp in that dressy trousers and dark green turtleneck. Cassandra frowned a little at his jacket. There was some white hair on the arm and she picked one up.

"Did you get a dog?" she asked.

Jesse took a look and shrugged. "No. Just petted some cat on the street. He was the cutest thing."

Cassandra nodded, tugged him closer and linking her fingers through his. "I didn't know you wanted to come to Paris. I thought you were busy."

"Yeah. Work." Jesse said breezily, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.

"Is that what you called it?" Cassandra said, eyes twinkling.

"What?" Jesse frowned, more guarded now.

Cassandra was laughing. "I heard you got trapped in that stupid basement. Aubrey told me all about it. She was in a panic."

Jesse breathed a little easier.

"Aubrey worries too much," he said dismissively. "Now, are we having lunch first or do you want to go shopping?"

* * *

**AN : **Happy Sunday peeps! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews and follows. I am truly humbled. This chapter is not as sizzling at the previous one. Sorry! but maybe a little warm?

**Wheresmywings **your review came after I was well into this chapter! Now I wish I wrote something about sex and pizza.

Shoutout to **Bssmile** : welcome back, babe! This is not exactly Tainted Love so I am glad you've come for the ride.

So what do you think? Vote please.

(A) More illicit sexy times for J and B?

or

(B) Move on with the plot already! What is J doing with Cassandra Harris?


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**MODE Editor-in-Chief's office**

"Daniel, concentrate please." Wilhelmina Slater uncrossed her legs and leaned forward a fraction, staring at the bumbling idiot in front of her. "We should decide on the cover right now."

Daniel Meade was now flipping through the proofs, looking at them far too carefully. Wilhelmina could barely concealed her impatience. The fool only got his job as Editor-in-Chief of MODE because of his name. A job that should rightly be hers. It irritated her to no end that she, the great Wilhelmina Slater, still have to get this idiot's approval. She had far more experience under her belt that this stupid boy.

He was saying something. What was he saying? All Wilhelmina could hear was garbage come out of his mouth.

"Daniel, let's go with the Charlize Theron cover." Wilhelmina said. She shut the book in front of her and got ready to stand up. As far as she was concerned, the decision was made and the meeting was over.

"No, wait a second," that insolent pup was saying. "That is a good cover but I think we should go with Julienne Moore. She's tipped to win the Oscars."

She was halfway up and Wilhelmina Slater rose to her full height, 5 ft 12 in heels and leaned over the desk. "You do not know what you are talking about." she spat out, looking down at him.

Daniel Meade looked up. "Willy," he said, uncowed by her aggressive stance. "As Editor-in-Chief, I decide we'll go with Julienne Moore. She's hot right now. Betty pulled the stops with that photo shoot and it looks great."

Wilhelmina took a deep breath. She hated when anyone called her Willy.

"Whatever you say, Editor-in-Chief." she finally answered. Sarcasm was dripping from her tone. "It's on your head. If circulation is down this month, you've got to answer to George Harris Senior."

Daniel scoffed a little. "George likes us. MODE is his flagship."

How can he be so stupid?

"Do you really think so, Daniel?" Wilhelmina's lips curled into a supercilious smile. "Have you look at the numbers lately? MODE and RUNWAY are both burning money. There is talk that George has to make a cut somewhere."

Daniel Meade was leaning back in his chair, smiling. "I'm not worried."

"You should be." Wilhelmina replied. "That bitch, Cassandra is brewing something. And I bet it has to do with making her uncle happy. If it comes to the line, that wrinkly old goat will go with RUNWAY."

Wilhelmina watched with satisfaction as Daniel Meade's smile slipped and his face turned pale. She didn't wait for an answer. She just spun on her heels and walked out of his office, heading straight for hers. The rest of the office hearing her heels stayed out of the way, not making eye contact. Marc St. James was waiting by the door as she stalked into her office, quickly handed her a cold drink and took the book from her hands. Wilhelmina gulped down the cold San Pelligrino in two swallows before handing the glass back to her PA. The door had been discreetly closed.

"Daniel is an idiot!" she ranted, falling into her seat.

Marc came over and gave her a quick shoulder massage. "Now, now. Wilhelmina. Happy thoughts."

"He's too busy fucking his staff to even know what's happening," she continued, still too angry to relax.

"Give him enough rope to hang himself, dear," Marc murmured, trying to calm her down.

Wilhelmina shrugged off Marc's hands. That Daniel Meade may be an idiot but she was not. He could roast in hell for all she cared but Wilhelmina Slater will survive and come up roses. She would not let that fool drag her down.

"So what did Amanda found out?" she said, now feeling a little calmer.

Marc grinned and came round to the front, handing over a paper folder.

"Well," he started. "Mr. Swanson had been pretty busy. He had Amanda pulling out all sorts of reports, audits. All sorts of figures from circulation. Adverstising dollars. He had been poring all over them with a fine tooth comb."

Wilhelmina speedily looked through the folder and tossed it on her desk. "Is that all?"

Marc's smile dimmed a little.

"Who is he seeing? Who has he been meeting? How often? Any notes? Any minutes?" she demanded. Marc was visibly blanching at her harsh tone. "I need to know what he and that Cassandra bitch are planning. Damn it!"

"Amanda can get those," Marc said soothingly. "Give her a little time."

"You boys are all idiots!" Wilhelmina fumed impatiently. "Get Amanda to see me. Now!"

* * *

_I put a spell on you __because you're mine_  
_You'd better stop the things you do_  
_I tell you I ain't lying_

_I put a spell on you_  
_You know I love you_  
_I love you anyhow_  
_And I don't care if you don't want me_  
_I'm yours right now_

_I put a spell on you  
__Because you're mine_

_ \- ANNIE LENNOX_

* * *

Jesse stared out of the full length window of his office, into the New York cityscape. His mind was in a jumble and he needed to straighten out his thoughts. So much information to process, so much things to think about. He needed to get this all down somehow. Jesse sighed, fiddling with the button on his suit. Usually a good run on the treadmill at the gym would sort this out. He would run it out in the high tech gym provided downstairs, worked up a sweat, let his mind run free in time with his pounding feet and he would feel better.

But of course that didn't work out this morning.

Because she strolled past.

Just casually stroll past in her tight lycra crop top, showing an expanse of her trim and toned abs, black tights, buds in her ears; not even glancing at anyone. Not even noticing the row of guys on the exercise machines, perking up as she walked past.

That was not so bad. Jesse could still concentrate on his run. He was hitting his stride and he could deal with Beca Mitchell strolling past with her hot body in those tight clothes. He did turned his head to watch where she heading; which in hindsight, was a big mistake.

She stopped further up the gym and started talking to Chris, one of H&amp;H personal trainer. Then she started to stretch and warm up; which itself was very distracting to watch. For about five minutes, she was stretching and bending over and then Chris the trainer handed her a jump rope. Beca Mitchell started skipping.

And bits of her started bouncing furiously.

Jesse Swanson nearly fell off his threadmill.

He hurriedly got off, turning off the machine and reaching for his towel. She did not seem to notice him nearly sustaining an injury and definitely making a fool of himself. If all that jumping and bouncing were not bad enough, she was now donning a pair of gloves which Chris helped her with, all the while smiling and chatting at her flirtatiously.

And then she began punching the hell out of that heavy bag.

Punch. Right hook. Low kick. Jab. Knee. Left hook. High kick.

Chris was yelling at her to do it harder.

That bag did not stand a chance.

Jesse did not know how long he stood there watching that heavy bag being pulverised. She was sweating now and grunting at every knee and kick. God, he did not want to be at the receiving end of those punches. Although she looked so badass doing all those moves. Those noises she was making? So fucking sexy. She was the one working up a sweat but Jesse Swanson felt like he was the one needing a cold drink. He finished his bottle in one swallow and wiped his face again but he still felt hot and bothered. That was when Jesse knew he should head straight for the cold shower.

They had not spoken since that weekend. He racked his mind on Sunday night, thinking how best to speak to her. The night had been wonderful but for once in his life, Jesse Swanson did not know what to do. Women were easy to him but not this one. This one infuriating Beca Mitchell. She blew hot and cold and he did not know which way to turn.

He could drown her in flowers on Monday but he knew that was not going to cut it. He did try before and it backfired spectacularly. Amy was still crowing to anyone who would listen about her secret admirer sending her those flowers. Puppies didn't seem to work either.

Jesse thought long and hard, tossing and turning in bed that Sunday night and in the early hours of the morning, he thought he had hit on something that might crack the infallible Beca Mitchell. Something he knew she would like and would allude to the fantastic night they had.

He sent her a Hawaiian pizza from Gino's.

Just in time for lunch on Monday.

It was cute. She would remember. And he had left a cheeky note with his phone number.

Yeah. He's good.

Then he started getting really weird messages. With weirder emojis. Donuts emoji. Pineapples? And egglants? Lots of eggplant emojis. It didn't make any sense. Until Jesse found out that Beca was not in the office that Monday; she had to go to Boston. And then he saw Amy eating a slice of Hawaiian pizza, chewing real slow and all the while staring unnervingly at him.

So no. That didn't work either.

Jesse heard the buzz of his desk phone before Amanda's nasal voice came through. "Mr. Swanson, Miss Posen is here to see you."

He walked over to his desk, pressing the comms button. "Send her in."

Jesse quickly checked his pockets for his things before casting a careful eye over his desk. Clean desk policy always. Especially with a nosy PA snooping about. The door opened and Aubrey walked in, in neat Chanel as always.

"Ready for lunch?" the blonde said, glancing at the small Cartier watch on her wrist.

"Yes."

* * *

_Why the hell am I doing this?_

Beca Mitchell stood in front of Oceana restaurant at West 49th, not quite believing she let the girls talked her into doing this. They must have gotten her drunk. That should explain why she agreed to meet her eHarmony match. She was busy, with three articles due and yet here she was outside this restaurant to meet Mark. The girls were adamant they had vetted him carefully and Beca had to say he did sound nice when they chatted on the phone.

"Be on your best behaviour," Stacie had cautioned as she zipped her up into the tight fitting Gucci twist dress. She straightened the gold belt before letting Beca stepped into matching gold heels.

"Does she look hot?" Chloe's voice came through the speaker phone.

"Yeah. I'll send you a photo," Amy yelled back, quickly snapping a photo and sending it through.

"Wooooo!" Chloe squealed when the image came through. "Make sure you play nice, Beca! Mark is really lovely. He's a banker and a kickboxing enthusiast. So you both have something to talk about."

"Hot. So hot." Stacie said finally, after she had done fussing with Beca's hair, styling it into a sexy 1940s type sleek curl.

Yeah. Sure she looked hot. But her heels were killing workout in the morning had been tough and now her calves were screaming. Beca tottered into the restaurant, stopping at the reception and just as Mark said, he was waiting at the bar. He waved at her and Beca made her way over.

"Hey, glad you can make it." Mark smiled, leaning in for a quick hug and an air kiss. _Whoah mister! A little too familiar._ Beca wanted to draw back and scowled but she smiled a little weakly instead, remembering to play nice. Just like Chloe told her.

He ordered her a drink and before long, their table was ready. Beca frowned a little at the way Mark was holding on to her elbow, steering her to their table. She can walk, for goodness sake but he was looking at her so charmingly, talking away and Beca just let that little frown melt. He had gallantly wait until she was seated and the waiter placed that napkin across her lap before taking his seat opposite.

He was not that bad looking. In a Midwest, blonde farmer kind of way. He looked like he would burst out of his suit. Obviously he worked out. He was talking about what he does for a living, going into details of a merger he was working on. Beca just smiled, making noises in agreement, as she looked down at the menu the waiter had handed over to her.

"Their roast pumpkin salad is to die for," Mark was now saying. "And you should try their yellowfin tuna. Tell you what. Let me order for you."

Ok. Again she could make up her mind on what she want to eat. Plus she had been here plenty of times. Beca slowly closed the menu and took a sip of her wine. If she had not thought about the girls, Beca would have dumped this delicious chilled Sauvignon all over him and flounced out.

"Yes. Sure," she heard herself saying. "I'm ok with that."

Mark was smiling yet again.

"So you work as a music journalist," he said. "You know, I dabbled with music myself. Was lead guitarist in this band in college. We were quite big. High Tempo? Maybe you've heard of it?"

No. She haven't.

"But there's no money in that. It was fun though," he continued. Mark was glancing up and down, checking her out and grinned. "My. I thought those photos were something. But they are nothing compared to the real thing."

Was that a compliment? Him checking her out like some raw meat? Maybe he thought he was being nice?

"Excuse me. I just need to freshen up." Beca said sweetly, standing up and placing her napkin carefully on on the table. Mark nodded and Beca left him at the table. She walked quickly across the restaurant, already dialling a number on her phone and jamming it to her ear. And when the call was answered, Beca hissed quietly in exasperation. "Chloe!"

* * *

It was her. It had to be her.

Jesse nearly had whiplash trying to catch another glimpse of the figure hurrying past. But it was a dress. She was in a dress? A very nice dress. And heels. But surely Beca Mitchell did not wear dresses. He had only seen her in jeans and sweatpants and tight workout clothes and in the nude.

Jesse tugged a little at his collar and cleared his throat at the thought.

Umm.. yes. But never in a dress.

And that hair. She looked like a glamorous 40s movie star.

What was she doing here? Somehow the Oceana did not strike Jesse as a place he would find Beca Mitchell. Maybe a pizzeria or a steakhouse? She looked like the type who loved that sort of thing and would be more comfortable in something more rustic; not something sleek like this. But here she was, in a dress at the Oceana, walking past like she owned the bloody restaurant.

"You were worried about Amanda?"

"What?"

It took him a few seconds to focus back on Aubrey. Aubrey was gazing at him, looking a little puzzled as she speared a calamari with her fork. Jesse quickly drank his beer, trying to buy some time. For goodness sake, why did he just go to pieces at the sight of Beca Mitchell?

"Not that worried," Jesse replied, now tucking into his venison. "I just don't like her all up my business. We should switch her. There must be someone else."

Aubrey was chewing her calamari carefully before swallowing.

"Cassie thinks it's hilarious," Aubrey replied. "Obviously Willy is running scared to actually plant a spy so close to you."

Jesse's brows knitted together.

"You mean this is all planned?" he asked. They wanted Amanda to spy on him?

"Look at it this way, Jesse," Aubrey replied, wiping the corner of her mouth with the napkin. "Willy has obviously cottoned on that Cassie is up to something. She can't quite get to her. You the boyfriend is the next best thing. Enter Amanda Tannen, spying on you."

"And what do you want me to do?" Jesse questioned back. "It's tiresome to look behind me all the time. Not when I have so much work to do."

"Maybe you should 'feed' some information to Amanda?" Aubrey said slowly. "Maybe she could 'find' something on your desk?"

Jesse blinked. Women are devious.

He thought about it. "You want me to send them on a wild goose chase?"

Aubrey just smiled serenely.

"Ok, that can be easily done." Jesse mused, swallowing that bit of venison in his mouth. It was superb. "The spying is just half of the problem. Amanda is all over me. The times she kept dropping her pencil and bending over. It's distracting."

Aubrey was laughing lightly.

"Are you saying you can't handle one Amanda Tannen?" she said in disbelief. "Oh Jesse! I think you have enough notches on your belt to handle one more slut."

He was frowning now.

"But this whole arrangement..." Jesse started.

"Hmm," Aubrey interrupted, a thoughtful look on her face. "Cassie did say she didn't mind you playing. Just as long as it is not at work. You know, because of the arrangement..."

"I know that."

"But perhaps... we could use Amanda to our advantage."

Jesse nearly choked on his next mouthful venison. He gulped it down and hissed out in surprise.

"Are you saying what I think you are saying?"

"It can go two ways," Aubrey said airily. "She's a pretty girl with a rocking body. You'll enjoy it. And maybe we can winkle something about Wilhelmina out of her. You know, needs must."

"You want me to sleep with Aman..."

"Beca!" Aubrey had turned away from Jesse, her face lighting up. "Beca, here!"

Jesse took a swig of his beer. He looked down at his plate, not sure what he should do. Aubrey was waving Beca over and she was approaching the table. He could tell. What should he do? Did Aubrey know he knew Beca? Did Beca said anything? Oh God. What the hell should he do?

"What are you doing here?" Aubrey was now saying.

"Lunch." He heard Beca's reply. He had not looked up yet. "You know, gotta eat."

He nearly smiled at that. That answer was Beca through and through.

"Never thought I see you here! That dress is so pretty. Is that Gucci?" Aubrey said, sounding cheerful. She seemed to remember her manners. "Oh. Have you met Jesse? He's been around H&amp;H for some months now. You would have seen him around."

He had to look up now. It would be odd if he didn't. And Jesse raised his head, his eyes meeting Beca's baby blues.

"Yeah, we've met. He spent some time at Decibel."

She looked fabulous. That hairstyle and the fitting dress suited her, the capped sleeves showing off her toned arms. She looked both classy and sexy. Beca was smiling at him, her red lips curving yet Jesse felt that the smile did not quite reach her cheeks.

"Oh. Of course," Aubrey said. "I don't have to introduce you both then. Jesse, Beca worked with me for a year for Cassie. She was a gem. Cassie loves her."

"Umm.. I think she mentioned it," Jesse said haltingly, fiddling with his fork. He had to say something to her. "How are you, Beca?"

How are you? How are you? Did his slow brain just asked her how she was?

"Fine. Thank you." Beca replied, a little too sweetly. She turned to Aubrey with a mock scowl. "Aubrey, you don't tell us anything anymore! I thought you only eat lunch at your desk? What are you doing lunching out with this man?"

"Oh Beca..." Aubrey laughed. "I'm just keeping an eye on him for Cassie. Cassie would want to know her boyfriend is on his best behaviour, right?"

Jesse did not dare to look at Beca anymore. He pretended to be busy eating his meal.

"Nice piece of gossip there, Bree," Beca was now saying, her voice light. "I don't think anyone at H&amp;H knew that."

"Yeah. Pass that along," Aubrey replied with a wink. "Cassandra has a hot boyfriend."

"Hmm. Will do," Beca answered. "I've got to go back to my date. Catch you later?"

"You are on a date?" Aubrey said, swivelling round in her chair, trying to work out which one was Beca's date. "So sorry! I'm keeping you."

"Nope. Don't worry about that," Beca said. "That must be really nice venison."

Huh? Was she talking to him? Jesse had to look up because she was talking to him. She was looking down at him, her eyes looking slightly amused. And dangerous.

"The way you are concentrating on that plate. Must be a really nice plate of food."

"Ermm.. yes. Yes, it is." Jesse stuttered.

She just smiled before saying goodbye to Aubrey and gliding away to her table. Joining a big, blonde man who stood up like a gent as she took her seat. Jesse could not help but stare. She was smiling at the man, whose back was towards them, leaning over the table to say something, her hand lightly resting on his arm. Aubrey was nosily ogling as well before turning back.

"Didn't know she was dating. Good on her," Aubrey said, spearing another calamari and popping it into her mouth. "That Daniel Meade really messed her up big time. Glad to know she's out there again."

"Who?" Jesse said, his head jerking back to Aubrey. "Daniel? Daniel Meade?"

Aubrey made a face like she just realised she said too much.

"No. Nothing. Old gossip," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "And speaking about gossip, we should really ramp up that you are Cassie's boyfriend."

He wanted to look at Beca again. He could hear her laughing, the sound like a tinkling of a bell. And her date was laughing along too. Jesse wanted to look so badly.

"What do you have in mind?" he said gruffly, concentrating hard on Aubrey instead.

"The H&amp;H Christmas party is coming up. You are definitely Cassie's date for that. Perhaps a few more high profile events. That sort of thing."

Jesse sighed. "Ok. Whatever. Just tell me where to turn up."

* * *

He's Cassandra Harris' boyfriend?

What the flying fuck? That man-whore!

Beca tried to concentrate on what Mark was saying. She had just now whaled out on both Stacie and Chloe on the phone whilst in the restroom, complaining what a male chauvinist he was. She came back to the table to find he had already placed an order for her. Her starter was right in front of her now with bits of octopus in it.

Beca hated octopus.

She picked through the salad, trying not to barf. Aside from the octopi, it was rather nice.

Mark was regaling her with another story now. Something about UFC? He was trying out for UFC and something happened?. Mark was looking at her expectantly and Beca quickly laughed in response. Did he make a joke? Never mind. He was laughing along, looking pleased. Aside from being such a chauvinist, he had been a gent.

He was really nice, this Mark. Perhaps he was just treating her like he thought a lady should be treated. At least so far he sounded like he was telling the truth. As far as Beca could tell.

Not like that dick. That..that.. weak ass fuckboy.

Beca glanced surreptitiously to the other table. He was talking to Aubrey, still eating that stupid plate of venison. He could not even look her eye just now. That fuckwit. What were the chances she had this date in the very same restaurant both Aubrey and Jesse decided to lunch at? That was just bizarre. It was not like she was actively trying to avoid him. She had felt their parting was a little awkward. He was in such a rush to leave. Hah! Probably going to meet Cassandra.

Beca was a little thoughtful, thinking back to her year with Cassandra Harris. There was no mention of a boyfriend but Cassie was a very private person. Aubrey did her personal diary so Beca wouldn't know that part of her life. Although thinking back about it, she did remember Cassie would mentioned to Aubrey about Jesse. Send something or other to Jesse. Buy that an expensive birthday present for Jesse. A trip to LA to meet Jesse.

All that was said verbally, of course and she only heard it in passing.

Beca thought it was a girl named Jessie. Probably her BFF by the sound of her voice all upbeat and cheerful whenever she mentioned the name.

Well, Jessie was no girl.

What kind of name is Jesse that anyway?

Beca huffed a little and Mark was now frowning at her. "Are you OK? You didn't like your starter?"

He looked so worried that Beca quickly replied. "No, it's fine. Delicious actually." She put her fork down and wiped her mouth. "Can't wait for the main."

Her plate was whisked away.

"So. I have this place in the Hamptons," Mark said, topping up her wine. Beca gratefully reached for her glass, taking a good mouthful. "I'm having a party next weekend. Just a few colleagues and such. Do you want to come?"

Great. More bankers.

At that precise moment, Aubrey and Jesse walked past. Aubrey was grining cheesily at her, giving her a discreet thumbs up. And Jesse? He was giving them a side-along glance, his lips set in a hard line. Like he didn't approved. Like they were beneath him.

Beca was furious. What the fuck was that look for?

Wait.

Why did she even care HOW he looked at them?

She shouldn't.

He was just some fuckmeat she had one weekend.

"Sure," Beca said brightly, lightly touching her hair and smiling up at Mark through her eyelashes. "Love to see your place at the Hamptons."

* * *

**Later on that evening**

"So..." Stacie said expectantly. "How did it go?"

Beca was about to answer when Chloe shouted from the kitchen. "Wait, wait, wait! I'm not ready yet!" The redhead bounded into the living room, carrying a bottle of white. She jumped onto the sofa, trying to squeeze in between Beca and Fat Amy.

"Red, there's not enough room for my sexy fat arse," Fat Amy complained, squashed against the side. "Flatbutt, move!"

It took them a few moments before Chloe finally declared they were ready to hear all about Beca's lunch date.

"He was ok."

"What?" "Fuck balls, only ok?" "Becaaaaaa."

Beca shrugged, popping a chocolate covered pretzel in her mouth.

"Bullshit!" Stacie said. "That man (and a few others whom you are going to meet) have been chosen by some complex algorithms to be your perfect match. And you are saying he was just ok?"

"What? He was..." Beca whined. "He had this weird Southern gent thing going with the standing up and the door holding that I had to get used to. I swear if he had a hat, he'll take it off."

"Aww, he's a perfect gent," Chloe cooed.

"Eh." Beca grimaced. "I'll bet he would faint if I so much as swear. And that dress you made me wear, Stacie, covered up pretty much most of my tattoos. I don't think I'm the type he'll bring home to mom."

"So you are not going to ride that?" Amy was always straight to the point.

"Mmmm. He's not that bad looking," Beca hummed, looking a little thoughtful. "I have been invited to his house party in the Hamptons." Beca thought she would go deaf with all the squealing. She just laughed looking at how excited they were. "But I need at least one of you to come with me. Just in case I need to bail."

"Ok, we draw lots," Chloe decided.

The conversation moved on to other things. Chloe was getting excited about this guy she met at the deli who she thought was definitely not an axe-murderer while Stacie was stressing about what she was going to wear to the H&amp;H Christmas party. They were laughing at Fat Amy's latest audition disaster. She tried painting herself green to present herself as a convincing Ephaba but the clueless casting assistant thought she was auditioning for the part of Fiona in Shrek the Musical. Fat Amy had to release the kraken.

They were well on their way through the third bottle when Amy leant back and looked speculatively at Beca.

"What?" Beca stared back, mouth full with pretzel.

"Hmmm. Nothing." Amy replied, still staring at Beca a little weirdly.

Beca swallowed the pretzel, took another sip of wine before saying. "Ok, you are freaking me out here, Amy."

"No. Nothing really," Amy said casually, cocking her head to one side. "Just wondering, you know. When."

"When what?" Stacie piped in, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"What did I miss?" Chloe chimed in, smiling a little fuzzily.

"Amy's being weird," Beca said. "Or hiding something."

"Oh no, not me, chook," Amy said a little lazily, nodding at Beca. "It's you. When are you going to tell us about your thing with Jesse Swanson?"

"What the fuck?" "BECA!" "Ow, you made me spill my pretzels."

Beca was choking. She was legit dying with this lump of dry pretzels in her mouth and all her friend were just staring at her. She would spasm and die of asphyxiation and they would just sat there watching.

She managed to clear her throat and glared accusingly at Amy. "What the hell, Ames? That is not even funny."

"Beca, what have you done?" Stacie said.

"Nothing." Beca lied.

It was nothing now. That night was a glitch. It was over and done with and it was nothing.

"Nothing, huh?" Amy was now saying. "Then why did he sent you a pizza at work? Not just any ordinary pizza. A Gino's pizza. With his phone number. And some weird message about winning."

"He sent you a Gino's pizza?" Chloe's eyes widened into wheels. "How did he even know about Gino's?"

"I don't know why he sent me a pizza!" Beca said defensively. "I didn't get any delivery."

"Oh. Umm.. I ate it," Amy admitted sheepishly. "You were at Boston that Monday and we just can't waste pizza. I had a good time eating them in front of those twig bitches at RUNWAY."

Beca's mind was racing. Why did he sent her a pizza? Damn! He was getting to know her pretty well. She would have enjoyed that pie and maybe gave him a call. Just to say thank you, of course. Nothing more tham that. Did she talked too much that evening? Her mouth always run when she was a bit drunk.

"Beca," Stacie snapped her back to the present. "Explain."

"Hmm? Oh." Beca quickly ran through her options. "He's new in town. We had a conversation about where's the best pie. And I told him Gino's was the best hands down. We had a little bet."

"I didn't even know you were talking to him," Chloe said, still staring at the tiny brunette in surprise.

"It's nothing. We talk in passing," Beca shrugged. She needed to change the subject pronto. "Besides he does have a girlfriend. And trust me, you won't believe who it is."

* * *

"So... do you want to come in?"

The brunette was smiling up at him. She was pretty sweet and they had met at one of those bars he randomly go to for a quick drink after work. He just meant to stay for a drink or two before heading home when she came over, all cute smiles and hair flicks. She was a personal shopper at Bloomingdale's and was just complimenting him on his suit when they started talking. He had turned on his Swanson charm without realising it. It was almost automatic in the enviroment they were in and before long, she was saying it was getting late but making no move to leave. And like a gent he was, Jesse had sent her home.

She was now leaning against the door of her apartment, looking at him expectantly.

And then she tiptoed and kissed him.

He kissed her back.

And Jesse broke the kiss, stepping back.

"Hey.. umm.." Jesse started, struggling to remember her name. "Lisa.."

"Eliza."

"Sorry. Eliza." Jesse corrected himself with a wry smile. "You are great but I can't come in."

"Ok. Early morning tomorrow?"

"No." Jesse said a little hesitant, not knowing what to say next. "It's just..."

"There's a girl? Or a guy?"

"No, not a guy. Definitely not a guy," Jesse chuckled. His little laugh turned into a deep sigh. "There's just this girl...at work I'm sort of... Look, I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea."

The girl just smiled. "Worth a shot. Good luck with that girl."

Jesse smiled back, thinking yeah, he would need all the luck he could get.

* * *

AN : _Sorry for the late update. I was working on my other fic, Thinking out loud. Thank you so much for all your reviews and PMs. Shout out to Mary from Italy. Ciao, bella! And to fivefoottwo from fivefeetnothing :) I wrote this chapter in a hurry and I hope you are not disappointed. For smut lovers, don't worry. More coming_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Amanda Tannen glanced briefly at the door before quickly placing the thick folder back on Jesse's desk. She did not need to be so furtive. Jesse had been called into an urgent meeting and he had left in such a hurry, leaving all the paperwork on his desk. Amanda had wasted no time scanning and emailing copies to Marc.

After having their ears almost chewed off by Wilhelmina, the pair of them had upped their game. Marc had gone all CSI on Jesse's background and Amanda kicked up her flirting a gear. To her satisfaction, Jesse seemed to be responding. He was friendlier and started to notice things such as the tight top she was wearing and she was sure she caught him staring at her once or twice.

Men. They are so simple.

Amanda lined the folder neatly exactly how she found it. She walked round the table to where his chair was, checking everything was in order.

Yes. Everything's perfect.

She was an amazing spy. He wouldn't even noticed that the file had moved it. And..._hmm, this is interesting.._. Jesse had not closed his drawer properly. Amanda slowly bend over, gently pulled the drawer open and quickly delved her hand inside, closing on a leather bound book. It was similar to a journal, with blank, unlined pages inside. Except there was a lot of things written inside in shorthand, in Jesse's handwriting.

Amanda frowned; not entirely certain whether this was useful. Some of the words and symbols did not make sense but Wilhelmina had been adamant that she wanted to know anything and everything. Amanda closed the journal and briskly walked out of Jesse's office. He was still in that meeting; there was still time to scan these through.

"Well...Hello."

She nearly dropped the book. Amanda hastily hid the book behind her back. A well-dressed Indian man was casually perched at the edge of her desk. He was dressed in jeans, tshirt and blazer, but they all looked expensive. A pair of pristine trainers was on his feet and when he raised his hand to scratch his chin nonchalantly, Amanda did not miss the gold Rolex on his wrist. He was staring at her, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement behind his hipster spectacles.

"Can I help you?" Amanda said in a saccharine voice. She edged to her desk, keeping the book behind her.

"I'm here to see Jesse."

"I'm sorry. Mr. Swanson is in a meeting. Did you have an appointment?"

"I don't need an appointment to see my homeboy." The stranger was smiling like a predator. "But I can see why Mr. Swanson does not want me here. He didn't tell me he had a beautiful assistant, Miss - "

_He's smooth. He's very smooth._

"Tannen. Amanda Tannen." Amanda smiled coquettishly at the man. She moved to her seat and casually placed the book underneath some papers. This stranger wouldn't know anything. "I am not supposed to let anyone in without an appointment."

"It's fine," the man said confidently. "Jesse and I go way back."

_Hmm. Way back eh?_

Amanda tried looking a little officious before asking, "Would you like to wait in Mr. Swanson's office?"

The man was still smiling and shook his head. "I rather stay here and talk to you."

"Were you in college together?" Amanda flicked her hair and widened her eyes like it was the most innocuous question ever.

He chuckled a little before answering. "Yeah, we were. I was a few years his senior. But that was some time back. Jesse came to work for me afterwards in LA."

"Oh. That must be fun," she said, twirling her hair with her finger.

"Yeah it was. We had some wild times," the man said, grinning wickedly. He took it a card from his pocket and offered it to Amanda. "I'm Donald, by the way."

"Hey Donald," Amanda drawled, taking the card. She glanced down at the card and an amused half smile tugged at her mouth. "The Stallion?"

Donald merely smiled. Amanda read the card again.

"You own The Stallion?" Amanda said in disbelief. "You are telling me you own the entire chain? Those clubs are hot!"

"Yeah, baby. I owned all of them," Donald replied. "East and West coast."

Amanda's mouth fell open.

"Oh my god! I love them!" she squealed. "The music's so good and all the male strippers are so fit! We had this bachelorette party that one time and I swear, this hunk of a man made my friend orgasmed. Without even touching her!"

Donald laughed out loud. "Glad to satisfy a customer."

"That's what he said!" Amanda gushed. He was still looking down at her and this time, that half smile became a full fletched flirty grin. Amanda deliberately swiped her lower lip with the tip of her tongue. "So, how long are you..."

"Donny? Donald? What the hell are you doing here?"

Jesse's voice rang down the office and both of them turned towards him. Jesse was hurrying down towards them, delight etched on his face. Donald was on his feet, grinning like an idiot. All coolness went out of the window as the pair of them met in a flurry of fist bumps and man hugs.

"I cannot believe you are in New York!" Jesse said in surprise.

"Hey, just checking up on you, dude," Donald grinned. "LA's quiet without you."

"Why didn't you call me? You could've said you were coming."

"Nah. Wanted to surprise you. And I have to check up my clubs too."

Amanda was eavesdropping shamelessly.

"It's nearly six. And I'm parched," Donald was saying. "Can you come for a drink?"

"Yeah. Gimme a sec."

Jesse approached Amanda's desk and she pretended to be in the middle of a very complicated email. "Amanda, I'm just going to head off. Could you please..." She nodded vacantly at the instructions Jesse was giving her and before long, he and Donald were heading towards the elevators.

Amanda's eyes followed their backs until they disappeared. Mmm. Mmm. Her boss sure looked nice in a suit. That divine ass in that well-cut trousers? So tight; like no secrets tight. Amanda fanned herself a little, thinking what she could do to that ass and body. He had a better body than some strippers she seen.

Amanda's eyes then fell on the card Donald gave her. She could not dialled Marc's number fast enough and when he answered, Amanda nearly choked as she spilled her words out quickly.

"Marc? You wouldn't believe what I found out about Jesse Swanson today."

* * *

Beca didn't know why she had to wear yet another dress in this freezing cold New York winter's evening. She'd rather be in her jeans and bulky sweater but nooooo, Stacie had pleaded with all the girls to try out these new sheer thermal tights for her January fashion feature. So here she was in a clingy Missoni knitted dress, trying out those tights for her friend. Of course Staice had to insist on 'appropriate' heeled boots, which looked no different from slut boots. Beca was sure she was going to slip on all that ice outside with these heels and break her neck. The things she'll do for her friends.

Like meeting yet another of her eHarmony matches.

Mark, her first match, had been sweet and that weekend at the Hamptons wasn't too bad. He wanted to meet up again and Beca didn't mind, except she knew if she started seeing Mark regularly, the girls will get too excited and will start choosing bridesmaid dresses already.

Which was why she was here, in the bar near H&amp;H, sitting across Eddie.

"So you come here often?" Eddie asked, swilling his drink around. He fidgeted a little in his seat and then smiled apologetically. "Stupid question. Of course you do. It's near your office."

God, he was more nervous than she was. Which was rather cute.

That and his floppy brown hair and green eyes.

"Pretty much," Beca replied, tossing her hair back. Over Eddie's shoulder, she saw Stacie and Amy gave her the thumbs up. Amy then started to manhandle her chest melons, giving Beca her bitch-in-heat look while Stacie started to flick her tongue rapidly between the V made by her fingers. Beca quickly returned her attention back to Eddie and cleared her throat. "So...you're a music composer."

"Yeah," Eddie said shyly.

"Anything I've heard?" Beca said, trying to encourage him on. He just went bright red.

"Umm..just a few commercials," he said depreciatively. "More like infomercials actually. On late night TV?"

"Oh. Ok. That's great."

"And a couple of jingles," Eddie added. "I did have credit for a film score -"

"That sounds fantastic."

"- for an indie film. A festival thing," Eddie was mumbling. "A student film."

"Hey, a credit is a credit," Beca smiled, warming up to the topic. "You can do great things with a film score. Blow people's minds; move them to tears. Music's just so powerful, you know."

"Yeah," Eddie was smiling a little bashfully.

"Do you always dream of scoring movies?" Beca asked.

"Actually," he replied softly. Beca had to lean in to hear him. "I've always wanted to be an accountant."

* * *

She was wearing those dresses just to mess with him.

Jesse was sure of it.

If not, why the sudden change, huh? From those skinny jeans and tops she usually wore to all these sexy little dresses that showed off (a) her hour glass figure and (b) how tiny she really was. Like he could up pick her up with one hand tiny. Jesse took a large gulp of his beer, trying not to stare at the sight of Beca Mitchell across the bar. Does that knitted dress have to cling to her chest like that? Those dresses she had been wearing made her looked so freaking sexy and adorable and his insides flipped about like a hormonal virgin teenager.

"I hardly hear from you, man," Donald complained beside him. "What's happening?"

"Work's a bitch," Jesse replied, eyes still on Beca and her date. She was tossing that wealth of hair over her shoulder, smiling and leaning closer into the man sitting across her. He had to be a date. He was one of those mousy, sensitive type with nerdy glasses and good cheekbones. Why on earth would she even go out with someone like him? He looked like a total bore; like he would faint if a spider land on his arm. Well, Jesse was afraid of spiders too but...

"Good call coming here," Donald sniffed happily, looking round the bar. "I've never seen so many good looking women in one place."

Jesse just nodded absent-mindedly, taking another gulp of his beer. He was staring openly at Beca now and her floppy hair date. Hah! He knew what that guy's game was. All that shy, derpy, nerd thing. Blame it on a whole slew of movies lately. Suddenly dorky, nerdy guys were hot. This one was probably acting all helpless and sweet so that girls would go all "aww" and feel protective. Look at that idiot pretending to be all bashful. He was probably speaking so softy so that Beca had to lean in to hear. What a 100% douchebag.

"So I'm thinking of moving to Mumbai," Donald started.

"That's nice." Jesse replied vacantly.

"Yeah. I'm getting married to a 108 year old ex-wrestler with super powers. One of those arranged marriage things."

"Sounds good

"He has three horns and a spiny tail."

"Fab."

Donald slammed his beer bottle down and Jesse jumped in his seat. "What the hell, man?" Jesse said, looking at Donald. Donald was studying him closely through his specs.

"You didn't hear a single word I said," Donald said, jerking his head towards Beca. "Are you going to tell me who's that?"

Jesse's jaw worked a little before his gaze went down to his beer. "No one."

"No one? You sure about that?" Donald questioned. " 'Cos you've been eye-fucking her since we sat down."

"She works at H&amp;H."

Donald glanced curiously at Beca before sucking his breath slowly through his teeth, "Not your type. You like blondes. Like that hot PA of yours."

Jesse shuddered at the thought. "Nope. Not going there."

He did not see that crease of surprise on Donald's face.

"Why not? She's hot."

Jesse shrugged before fixing his eyes on Donald. "You were quite chatty with her just now."

"Just chatting a little while waiting for you," Donald replied non-committedly. "Said we go a long way back and you used to work for me."

Jesse groaned at that information, giving Donald a surly look. "I hope you didn't tell her in what capacity I work for you. All those years back."

"No, man..." Donald quickly replied. "I know you want to keep that under wraps."

"Good."

Jesse seemed satisfied with that and went back to eyeballing Beca. Donald took a longer look at where Jesse was staring at. Cute and yeah, rather hot in an approachable kind of way. And looking quite bad-assed in that red knitted dress. The tiny brunette had hopped off the stool and whispered something to her date before sashaying off towards two girls on another table.

"Woah. That tall brunette is something," Donald whistled appreciatively. "You know, I thought it was a bad idea for you to take this job. And all that shit you have with Cassie. But good call, man, good call." He leaned in closer to Jesse, whispering conspiratorially, "So did you make your move on leggy brunette yet?"

Jesse spluttered out his beer for real this time round. "Stacie? Dude, no. I didn't. Beca would've kill me."

"Mmm?" Donald hummed. "Wait. You didn't?"

"No, man. That's just wrong," Jesse continued, looking quite ill. "She's like one of Beca's best friends."

"WHO is this Beca?" Donald said, eyebrows knitting together.

"That's Beca," Jesse pointed out surreptitiously with his bottle. "The one you've said I've been eye-fucking."

Donald's jaw dropped as he tried to process this information.

"Ok, let me get this straight -" Donald's forehead was wrinkling. "You are not seeing anyone."

"Because of Cassie," Jesse replied blandly.

"Yes, because of this Cassie thing," Donald affirmed. "And you are not fucking your PA?"

"Told you. Don't wanna go there," Jesse replied, a little exasperated.

"And you didn't make any moves on that bombshell over there -" Donald stated, pointing to the girls. " - because she's Beca's best friend."

"Yeah," Jesse replied, now gazing at them again. Beca was rolling her eyes at something Stacie was saying. It looked like she was giving Beca a pep talk while Amy was grinning a little lasciviously.

"Dude..." Donald started.

"What?"

"You've got it bad." Donald was blinking owlishly at Jesse through his spectacles.

"Shut up." Jesse said crossly.

"You are into her, man, " Donald said, slapping Jesse's shoulder hard. Jesse just looked a little pissed and Donald laughed seeing that look on his face. "There's only one cure for that."

"Donald, you are being a dick." Jesse replied, knowing quite well what Donald was driving at.

"You know it, baby," Donald said, grin in place. "Go on. Just fuck her and it's done."

Jesse's eyes followed Beca as she returned to her date.

"The thing is, Donald..." Jesse slowly said, trying not to stare at the pair. "I already have."

He took a long swig of beer and sighed out in frustration.

"Trust me when I say, I'm nowhere nearly done."

* * *

**AN :** _I know, I know. I can't quite make this chapter work. Working on three different fics is mind-bending! Please bear with me. This is short chapter because I'm aware I didn't update any of my fics last Sunday. The Christmas chapter is coming up and then more shmex. Promise! _


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

The whisky took the edge off.

Jesse sat back on the plush sofa, glancing at his watch. He was feeling a little tired. Full day today and now this Christmas party to go to before he could go home and crash. He stared out of the window in Cassie's office, wondering how much longer he needed to wait. It was already dark outside and they were expected downstairs at least fifteen minutes ago. If he knew Cassie well (and he did), she would still be glued to her phone on business whilst getting dressed for the party. Ah well, at least he was waiting with this nice tumbler of whisky.

The whole building had been in a state of palpable excitement all day. He had to let Amanda off early - she was practically squeaking at the thought of the party tonight. If he had heard right, the H&amp;H Christmas parties were legendary. Plenty to eat and drink; plenty of swag from eager sponsors. Plenty of sex.

The door opened.

Jesse looked up and smiled. Just as he thought.

"No. Pull that entire article off." Cassandra Harris strode in, one hand glued to her phone, the other fiddling with her earring. "I don't care how much it will cost. I will not have that bastard holding me ransom. He can very well fuck off and give an exclusive to MODE."

Jesse stood up and walked over to Cassie, who was leaning over her desk. She nodded acknowledging his presence while busy making rapid notes on a pad. Jesse just lounged against the desk, looking at her.

"Nigel, just do what I tell you. I'll deal with my uncle," Cassie was saying now. She let out a frustrated sigh before closing her eyes and saying tightly to her phone. "Ok, fine. We'll deal with this first thing tomorrow. Go and enjoy the party."

"I am surrounded by idiots!" Cassie declared loudly, ending the call and tossing her phone on top of her desk. Jesse was slowly drawing the pen she was holding tight from her grip, before stepping behind her and gently rubbing her shoulders.

"Shhh, you work too hard," Jesse shushed her gently. "That was Nigel, wasn't it? He'll get it fixed."

Cassie just snorted in disbelief, her shoulders still tense. "This whole place needs a firm hand or just falls into pieces!" she ranted. "That bitch Willy is rubbing up Uncle George and I don't know how long he can stay immune to that conniving witch. I really need him to sign on that stupid dotted line before that...that.."

"Hey..it's going to be fine." Jesse quickly calmed her down. She was working herself up into one of those infamous Cassandra Harris' rage and Jesse knew he had to nip it in the bud. Slowly Cassandra began to relax and she turned round to smile at Jesse.

"Thank you."

Jesse smiled in return, carefully looking at her. Only behind the doors like this, with no one around, will Cassandra Harris let her guard down. Her make-up and hair was perfect but Jesse could still see the tiredness in her eyes and how sallow and tight her skin was. That full-length grey dress was beautifully cut but it was not helping her colour and it hung a little loose. She was far too thin.

"How's the doctor's appointments?" he asked. Cassandra shook her head, looking more drawn than ever. Disappointment was clear on her face and Jesse drew her into a hug. "Don't worry about it, babe. Plenty of time."

"No, we don't have plenty of time, Jesse!" Cassandra raised her voice. She drew a quick breath seeing that look on Jesse's face and calmed herself down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted. I'm just so busy and those doctor's visits are not helping."

"You are doing all the hard work. It's tough on you," Jesse replied, hugging her tighter.

"This is such a big thing for us," Cassie said.

Jesse drew back to look at Cassie. "I know."

"I'm so glad you are here instead of in LA," Cassie murmured, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "I don't have many people I could trust."

There was a slight knock on the door before it was opened. Aubrey Posen appeared at the doorway, taking in the sight of both of them. "Oh...sorry. Didn't mean to barge in," Aubrey said, her eyes flicking between the two. Jesse had already straightened up, tugging his jacket smooth and Cassandra was picking her phone from her desk before walking over to a full length mirror to one side of the office.

"You look lovely, Aubrey," Jesse said, smiling at the blonde woman dressed in a sleek, floor length black Chanel gown . Aubrey just nodded at the compliment, eyes resting anxiously at Cassandra.

Cassandra was checking her reflection in the mirror before turning round to Aubrey.

"I look terrible in this," she said, sounding like her old self. "Aubrey, I think I need.."

"The red Valentino?" Aubrey prompted, knowing full well what was needed. "It's in the closet outside. I'll get it for you."

Jesse sighed wryly, looking at both women in turn. "Well, I think I am not needed here. Call me when you are ready."

* * *

The place was changed beyond recognition. Jesse looked appreciatively at the decorations that transformed the dull conference room into a winter wonderland. A lot of money had went into it obviously. Those birch trees with icicles and glittering giant snowflakes hanging down from the ceiling did not come cheap. Nor the linen covered chairs and the blousy, overblown bouquets of flowers adorning every available place. But it was beautiful. Jesse was tired of waiting for Cassie and had wandered down to peek at the room, trying to stay out of the way of staff scurrying around to get everything ready.

"Are we almost done with that?" Jesse heard Benji's voice. He turned and saw Benji talking into his phone. "How long do you need? Another half an hour? Ok."

Benji tipped his head at him as Jesse came over.

"All this your work?" Jesse sounded impressed. "Great job, dude."

"I just sign the bills," Benji said with a shrug. "Why aren't you downstairs? That's where the drinks are."

He was gesturing to the main reception below the mezzanine which was now hosting the drinks party. Jesse took one look at the mass of H&amp;H staff, chattering happily with a drink in hand. He had a great view from where he is.

"I'm ok here. Cassie will be ready soon and I have to escort her down."

"Suit yourself," Benji said. "I have to check up on the caterers. I'll catch you later."

Jesse nodded but Benji was already hurrying off. He leaned forward against the banister, scanning the crowd below. Everyone was dressed up to the nines. It was safe to say that The Closet and any other clothing storage facility were effectively raided tonight. Jesse had never seen so many designer frocks in one place. The women were dressed in all shades of the rainbow, moving like colourful birds in between men dressed up in their tux.

The chatter and the din was increasing exponentially as more drinks were quaffed. He could make out some familiar faces but he was really only looking for one. And when he found her, Jesse had to smile.

* * *

"Here, hold my drink," Amy said bossily, holding out her glass to Beca. Beca took the offered glass and Amy proceeded to pull her gloves up. They were slightly wrinkled and she tugged forcefully at one.

"Why are you even wearing them, Ames?" Beca said, frowning at the gloves. Amy was wearing a knee length jade green dress which complemented her blonde hair but the gloves looked altogether too formal for the outfit.

"Eh, completing my sexy ass assemble, what else. This look is not complete without these gloves," Amy replied, adjusting the strand of pearls on her chest before taking her drink back. She slurped the wine before leaning conspiratorially and gaving Beca an exaggerated wink. "Besides... Bumper loves it when I wear these gloves and ..you know, jerk him off. He thinks it's classy."

Beca spat her drink back into the glass. "I didn't need to know that..."

"Know what?" Stacie loomed over them, swish in a blue Lagerfeld dress.

"Don't." Beca said, shaking her head emphatically. "You wouldn't wanna know."

The truth was Beca did not want to hear that particular information repeated. Amy just grinned at Stacie, tugged her glove yet again and proceeded to jerk her wrist suggestively.

"Oh." Stacie answered, not missing a beat. "I once went out with a guy who liked me to use rubber gloves. You know the ones you use to wash dishes? He loved the yellow ones."

Beca looked down sorrowfully at her drink. How many times had she spat it out already? Really, why was she so surprised how graphic her friends were? Beca quickly placed the wine glass on the tray of a passing waiter and took a fresh one.

"Hey girls..." Amanda Tannen slithered into their group, clutching a flute of champagne. Her blonde hair fell sexily over one eye and the girls just knew it must have taken her hours to curl and tease it to look so natural. She also looked if she was about to fall out of the gold, slinky dress she was wearing.

Amanda took one look at Beca's outfit, taking in the soft, mannish black jacket nipped at the waist and the matching loose trousers. "Beca, what on earth are you wearing?"

"Band of Outsiders," Beca replied nonchalantly. "I don't feel like wearing a dress."

It was true. Beca actually didn't want to come to this Christmas party. Far too many memories she didn't want to deal with but she had let the girls talked her into it. On the condition that she could wear what she wanted. Stacie had harassed and pouted and pleaded with her, showing her one dress after, hoping to change her mind but Beca had put her foot down. She had it with the dresses her friends had pushed and shoved her into for the past month. Besides, this pant suit was rather comfortable.

"You look so butch. But slutty. Me likey."Amanda stared at her a moment longer before moving to the next topic. "So, what's this I hear about the lucky draw? Top prize is a luxury stay for two in Aspen?"

"That's what we heard," Amy piped up, finishing her drink. "Not too shabby."

"Mmm. I know who I want to hole up in Aspen for a week." Amanda winked.

"Daniel Meade no doubt." Beca chimed in. Stacie's and Amy's eyes instantly bored into her as Beca calmly sipped her drink. What? She was fine. She could talk about that fuckface without falling into bits. Look, her face was neutral and her voice sounded almost steady.

"Oh no. Not Daniel," Amanda replied breathily. "I mean WHO hadn't had Daniel, right?" Amanda was oblivious to the grim look on the girls' faces and just plowed on. "I was thinking that new hot boss of mine., Jesse Swanson." Amanda's face was etched with a slutty grin as she narrowed her eyes, "Mmm, I gladly take naked dictation if he asks. Have you guys seen his ass?"

Immediately, the image of Jesse Swanson's naked behind flashed into Beca's mind. His tight, tight ass, forcefully pumping into her and how she had wrapped her legs round him, heels digging into the back of thighs to pull him even deeper. Beca nearly choked on her drink, going into a coughing fit and Amy quickly slapped her hard on her back.

"You've tapped that?" Stacie asked curiously. "The word is he's Cassandra's boyfriend."

Amanda just shrugged.

"Matter of time, girls. Just a matter of time," she said confidently. "Maybe I need to catch him under a mistletoe tonight. Have you seen him?"

"Nope." "Nyet."

"Well, I'll find him," Amanda said. She winked again, leaning in. "Piece of goss, girls. You know that hot strip club, The Stallion? He used to work there. Maybe I can persuade him to strip off and show me some hot moves? Bet that body is hard under that suit."

Again, Beca's drink went down the wrong way.

"Oh my god, Beca. What is wrong with you?" Amy said, slapping her on the back, "Did you choke on an olive?"

"I"m fine! I'm perfectly fine," Beca spluttered out."What is wrong with you guys?! Can't you all keep it clean for once?"

By the time Beca recovered, Amanda had glided away along with many others all heading up the stairs towards the ballroom.

"Speak of the devil..." Stacie murmured frostily. They all looked to the front where the stairs were. Jesse Swanson was standing to one side halfway up the staircase, looking impossibly handsome in his tux. He was making conversation with two other senior directors, smiling charmingly. And Cassandra Harris was standing next to him, looking absolutely radiant on his arm.

* * *

This sucks balls.

Jesse pretended to wipe his mouth with his napkin but really he was trying to hide his yawn. This must be the dullest party he had been to. So far the infamous H&amp;H party had not lived up to its expectations. Yes, dinner was delicious. So was the wine which flowed freely; thank goodness for that. But it was just so staid.

Perhaps he was stuck at a boring table? He was seated on the VIP table with Cassandra on his right and a dowager-type socialite on his left. Jesse was sure that old girl squeezed his thigh at some point. He was still charming, of course and Cassandra had smiled to him gratefully more than once. There had been speeches and some sort of entertainment and draw after lucky draw. Amy had won the first prize and Jesse had to laugh hearing a huge bellowed "YES!" before she bounded up the stage to claim her prize. That was about the most exciting thing that happened all night.

That and when Wilhelmina Slater walked past and stopped at the table to talk to George Harris Senior. Dinner was done by then and everyone was circulating round to the other tables. Jesse could feel Cassandra stiffening up although her face still looked serene. Wilhelmina had said something to George and then laughed at something he said in reply, lightly placing her hand on his shoulder. The band had struck up and George Harris Senior had gallantly asked Wilhelmina to dance. She accepted, throwing a triumphant smile at Cassandra without her uncle seeing. Cassandra's face was as still as marble.

Of course, Jesse had asked Cassie to dance and in a smooth move, had cut into the other pair, asking Uncle George to swap partners. Wilhelmina could not refuse and when he swept her into the dance, she fixed a beady eye at him. They were dancing silently when she spoke up. "You are quite a dancer, Mr. Swanson."

"Call me Jesse, please," he replied pleasantly.

"Hmm. Jesse," Wilhelmina mused. "Please don't think I don't know what you did just there."

Jesse just calmly led her around the dancefloor.

"Whatever do you mean, Ms. Slater?"

"That switch there just now. Very smooth," Wilhelmina said, glancing at George and Cassandra dancing. Cassandra was laughing while George had a happy, avuncular look on his face. "You can tell your girlfriend she will have to call me Aunt one day. I am not letting such a juicy prize slip away."

"She waits for the day. Whenever that is." Jesse said breezily before whirling Wilhelmina round and round. He stopped and she tottered on her heels unsteadily, a little out of breath. Wilhelmina threw an irritable look at Jesse. He looked unflappable and annoyingly charming, half smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"What about you, Mr. Swanson?" Wilhelmina hissed out, talons tightening Into his shoulder. He did not seem to notice the painful grip she had on his shoulder, continuing to guide her effortlessly across the dancefloor.

"What about me?" Jesse replied blandly.

"I know what you really are," Wilhelmina said triumphantly. "How much did Cassandra pay you to pose as her boyfriend? Must be hell more than what you make per dance."

Jesse laughed lightly.

"Dancing is one of my many talents, Ms. Slater," he replied, eyes warm with amusement. "You should see how much I get paid for the others."

"How much?" Wilhelmina demanded. "Tell me. I can easily double it."

"I'm beginning to feel offended," Jesse replied, feigning a wounded look on his face. "This dance is free."

She knew he was being deliberately obtuse and it frustrated Wilhelmina no end. She was about to launch another verbal attack when the band finished up the tune with a fanfare. The dancers stopped and applauded politely. Jesse had released Wilhelmina and was about to take his leave when she leaned into him, still gripping his arm hard.

"Don't pretend you don't know what I am talking about, Swanson." Her fierce whisper was muffled by the applause around them. "I never knew Cassandra Harris to have a boyfriend. That bitch over there had plucked you out from some low rate strip show for this whole charade. Something is not quite right here and I am going to find out. And get this, Mr. Swanson, when I do, you WILL regret refusing my offer just now."

* * *

**AN** : _Shout out to the lovely Stoicmuch for the lines in the previous chapter. Tight, like no secrets tight. Thank you, babe. Thank you for all your lovely reviews and follows. I am about a couple of chapters before the shmex fest. I promise. I was just about to upload this chapter when the stats showed me this story had 33 favs, 66 follows and 8888 views. I just love the numbers. And oh, happy Mother's Day to all. UK is a bit weird - we celebrate ours in March on Mothering Sunday_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen **

"Are you sure you're going to be ok?"

Jesse was asking the question for the umpteenth time as they waited for Cassie's town car to arrive. It was just past midnight and once George Harris Senior had excused himself from the party to head home, most of the senior directors followed suit. Cassandra was kept back by a few of their guests but Jesse could read the tiredness coming off her in waves and promptly rescued her.

"I'll be fine going home alone, Jess," Cassie replied, wearily taking off her earrings. She put them into her clutch, drew out her phone and started to text furiously.

"I think I should send you home," Jesse said, eyebrows knitting together. "Willy gave me quite a speech just now and I am not entirely certain she didn't plant a tracking device on me."

"You are silly," Cassie laughed, looking up from her phone. "Just so you know, the party kicks off after midnight when all the old people are gone. You should stay."

"I dunno. Maybe I should head home," Jesse said non-commitally.

Cassie snorted. "The Jesse Swanson I know never passes over a party." She stopped texting and gave Jesse a thoughtful look. "I saw Amanda Tannen in a gold dress, looking particularly hungry just now. She looked like she wanted to eat you up."

Jesse shrugged, not looking at least bothered.

"Maybe it's time for you to have some fun, Jesse," Cassie remarked, a devilish glint in her eye. "She's bound to be drunk and she wants you. Who knows what information you can get out of her about Willy?"

Jesse slowly fiddled with the button on his sleeve before shifting his gaze back to the tall brunette. "What exactly do you want me to do, Cassie?"

* * *

_What am I doing here? _

Beca asked herself that question for the umpteenth time as she stared into the mirror in the ladies room. She looked fine. Her make-up was still perfect; Lily had always done wonders in that department. Her outfit needs a little straightening and perhaps a quick brush of her hair. Otherwise, she looked absolutely fine. Whether she was fine on the inside was another thing.

Right on cue, Stacie and Fat Amy bustled noisily into the bathroom. "Yo flatbutt! What's taking you so long?" Amy hollered, a little merry with all the party wine in her. "I thought your skinny ass was stuck in the toilet and here I am to rescue you. Don't worry. I am a professional. I once rescued a kangaroo stuck in a tree. It took two ladders and a box of lamingtons..."

Stacie was astute enough to notice the look on Beca's face and quickly piped up, "Amy, we need more champagne. Go get some more." She waited until Amy did a noisy exit before turning back to Beca. "You ok?"

Beca slicked a little bit more lipstick on. "I'm fine."

"Beca, we all know what happened last Christmas party," Stacie said. "That fuckface Daniel is somewhere out there at this party. I promised Chloe we'll look after you. Why don't we just ditch this party and carry on elsewhere?"

"I'm absolutely fine." Beca replied, popping her lipstick back into her clutch and fluffing her hair. She leant forward, checking her reflection for the final time. "Why should I go just because Daniel is here?"

Stacie took a long moment to assess her. "Ok. But promise me if he dares to speak..no, if he even dare to breathe on you, you'll come and find us."

"Trust me, Stacie. I can handle one Daniel Meade."

* * *

This was more like it.

Jesse looked round appreciatively at the distinct change in tempo in the ballroom. Gone was that dreary band to be replaced with a DJ, spitting out something more upbeat. The dance floor was crowded with H&amp;H staff, half drunk and dancing. Someone had let loose a smoke machine and with that vaguely pineappley smell of the smoke, the flashing disco lights and feeling a little tired, Jesse wasn't entirely sure he wasn't tripping.

He scanned the crowd, looking for one face. He saw her earlier in the evening from the vantage point at the mezzanine and wanted nothing more than to talk to her. But he was stuck at that dreary table the whole night and could not escape. Jesse moved slowly through the crowd, eyes restlessly scanning. She had to be here.

"Heeeyyyy boss."

Jesse froze on the spot. Amanda Tannen was right in front of him now, lips stretched into a slutty grin. She was swaying slightly on her feet and pitched forward into him.

"Oops!" Amanda giggled, making no move to stand upright.

"Amanda, I see you're having a good time," Jesse said, quickly steadying her on her feet.

"Mmm... I am always a good time, Mr. Swanson," Amanda breathed out, her chest heaving with the effort. "Were you looking for me?"

"As a matter of fact, I - "

Amanda grinned again and bit her bottom lip. "Did you want me to take dictation? I've been told I'm very good at...oral."

Jesse stared down at Amanda's upturned face. The tip of her tongue was slowly swiping across her bottom lip as Amanda looked up suggestively at him. Donald was right. She was hot and blonde and totally Jesse's type. A year...no, even six months ago, the player in him would not hesitate. She was practically rubbing herself against him, her ample breasts pressed up to his chest. He could have her whichever way he want. There were enough private spaces in the building for a quickie tonight. Besides, Cassie had given him carte blanche. He was supposed to do this.

Jesse held on to Amanda's arm leading her to a dark corner. She was giggling a little drunkenly, happy to be led. They were just by the wall when he turned her round to face him and Amanda threw her arms around his neck, trying to pull his face down closer to hers.

"I think you better sit down, Amanda," Jesse said. He gently pulled her arms free from his neck before pressing her down into a chair. "You are more than a little drunk. Can I get you some water?"

"Kiss me." Amanda pouted, her hands now clawing at Jesse's belt, pulling him towards her. Jesse skilfully pried her fingers away.

"I'm going to get you some water," Jesse said firmly before stepping away from the blonde. Amanda looked confused, letting her arms fell to her sides. Jesse was about to make his way to the bar.

"Wow."

He stopped. He heard that incredulous exclamation and he recognised the voice. Jesse turned slightly towards the sound of that voice and there she was. Beca Mitchell, lounging against the wall in that dark pantsuit, eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Hey." Jesse said slowly, feeling a little stupefied. Shit. Was that all he could say? After waiting the whole night to speak to her, all he could say was "hey"? His lack of words did not seem to bother Beca. She merely nodded, eyes temporarily shifting to Amanda before returning back to him.

"I'm impressed, Mr. Swanson," she said, half smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Not many men can refused Amanda Tannen. Especially when she set her sights on them."

"Really? Umm... I wasn't aware I was a target," Jesse lied smoothly. Oh he knew he was. Amanda was not exactly subtle.

"Yeah, just be thankful she didn't caught you underneath some mistletoe," Beca replied. "Don't worry about her. She just need to sleep the wine off. You did the right thing making her sit down and rest."

True enough, Amanda had already passed out, slumped on the seat. Jesse turned his attention back to Beca, eager to continue their conversation but she was already moving away. "Wait. Beca." He hurried after her, placing a hand on her arm. Beca stopped and looked up at him curiously. Jesse swallowed a little before finally finding the right words to say. "Don't go, please. Have a drink with me?"

To Jesse's relief, she nodded and as luck would have it, a waiter passed by and he could grab two glasses of wine, offering one to her. They sipped their drinks quietly, both trying to think of something to say that was not awkward.

"That's a beautiful outfit," Jesse tried.

"Thank you." Beca replied, giving him a quick smile.

And...they were back to that awkward silence. It was, however, her turn to say something banal.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Beca said.

Jesse made a face. "Can't lie to you. Just now was pretty soul destroying." A faint smile tugged at Beca's lips at that comment and Jesse felt a little braver. He smiled down at her. "But the night's getting better."

"Good to know you are having fun." Beca drank a little more wine. She was already looking away, restlessly shifting her weight from one foot to another. "I shouldn't keep you away from your date. Catch you next time."

"What? Oh. No, Cassie's gone home." Jesse hurriedly replied.

Something icy passed quickly across Beca's face.

"Oh, I get it. You stayed to have some fun. In which case, I should leave you with Amanda."

Jesse was at his wit's end to make her stay. "Please don't go. It's not like that," he said quickly. "Umm...just so you know, I was not interested. In Amanda, that is. I was not at all interested."

Beca took another sip of her wine, nodding. "Of course."

"I have someone else on my mind."

"Glad to hear that. Cassie will be glad to know you are thinking of her."

Jesse closed his eyes momentarily in frustration.

"Can we talk somewhere?" Jesse said urgently. Beca was giving him a sceptical look. She was about to leave again. He knew that. And he did not know when was the next time he could commander her attention like this.

Ah, fuck it.

"I'm going to be straight with you. I think you are amazing. The sex we had was amazing," Jesse said. He hesitated for a moment like he was trying to find the right words. "I cannot forget it. I can't forget you. Try as I might, I can't keep myself away from you. Please, can we talk?"

Beca's stare was glacial. She stepped back, shaking her head.

"You are a piece of work, Jesse Swanson."

"Beca -" Jesse started.

She was hurrying off towards the exit and Jesse was going after her when an almighty crash followed by a scream stopped him. "Amanda!" "Oh my god! What's wrong with her?" "She's having a fit!" Jesse heard the panicked yells and turned to look where Amanda was passed out on the seat just now. Except she was now writhing on the floor.

"Someone get help!" Jesse shouted, immediately going straight to Amanda. She was still out of it; body shaking restlessly, head banging, tongue lolling out in a full epileptic seizure. People were starting to crowd around her, panicking and Jesse had to yell, "Back off. Give her some room." The first aiders came very quickly but by the time the situation was under control, Jesse looked up to find Beca and she was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Holy shit. What the hell was that?

Beca paced restlessly, trying to make sense of what just happened. She was not expecting that. All she wanted to do tonight was to have a bit of fun with the girls before Christmas break. She was definitely not expecting to be cornered and to hear those words uttered by Jesse Swanson of all people. That confession really unnerved her.

What did it all even mean?

Beca stopped pacing; her nerves now showing by the way she was biting her cuticles.

Was he drunk? He was always a dick when he was drunk. No. He was sober; she knew that. Fuck. She knew it was a mistake to sleep with him. Stupid Beca. Never learnt her lesson.

But that night with him was certainly something. If she was honest with herself, she could not forget him too. Yeah, the sex was sizzling hot; that was true. But it was a little more than just hot sex. She genuinely enjoyed herself whilst with him, which was more than she could say about all those dates she had been on lately. He was funny and sweet. And when they talked, it was easy; like they had known each other for years. Yet he was still a mystery. There was more to Jesse Swanson that meets the eye and Beca was curious.

_Stop it, Beca. Stop it! He has a girlfriend. Someone you know. The girls will go apeshit._

Beca heard footsteps behind her and she whirled round quickly, catching sight of a dark haired man in a tuxedo.

"Look, Jes... Oh. It's you."

Beca had opened her mouth ready to yell at Jesse but the sight before her made her stuttered to a stop. A ghost from her past now flesh and blood before her. Someone she had been studiously avoiding all her waking days at H&amp;H.

"Hi."

Daniel Meade was standing mere feet away from her. Beca swallowed a little. Her first instinct was to leave. She had not been avoiding Daniel Meade for nothing and the last thing she needed right now was to tangle with her past. She should leave. The heartless bastard was just standing there, smiling that cocky smile that she once thought charming. But her stubborn streak and pride blazed through and Beca defiantly met his gaze.

"Daniel."

"Wow, you look great, Bec." Daniel said, slowly looking at her from head to toe. When she didn't answer, Daniel took a step forward. His eyes were still on her, gauging her reaction. "You always look great."

"Thank you."

He was right in front of her now. Beca remembered a time when they would automatically jumped into each other's arms if they were alone like this.

"I've been trying to talk to you for ages, Becky."

Becky. He loved to call her Becky; even though she hated that nickname. It was just one of the things she put up with him. Beca remembered that.

"You've changed your number. You didn't return any of my emails," Daniel continued, sounding a little sorrowful. "I tried so hard to see you but the girls always shut me down."

"We don't have anything to talk about, Daniel," Beca said stiffly. "I think you made it perfectly clear you didn't want anything to do with us..." Beca stopped and took a deep breathe before continuing. "You didn't want anything to do with me anymore."

"Bec, don't. I'm sorry. I am so sorry, ok?" Daniel's voice was a soft, wheedling plea. He reached out for her and when Beca took a step back, he dropped his hand. "I was stupid and scared, ok? I said some very stupid things to you. I am so sorry, Becky."

"I believe you called me a whore and a gold digger at some point?" Beca replied flatly. "That was charming."

"Babe, don't," Daniel implored. "I told you. I was scared and stupid. I didn't mean any of it. Of course I knew the baby was mine. I knew that. But it was all a big shock, Becky. I wasn't ready to be a dad."

Beca kept silent, a stony look etched on her face.

"Then I heard what happened..."

"Daniel, stop!" Beca cut in quickly. "It's over and done with. There is no need for you to do all this. Now just run along. Go back to your perfect life and leave me alone."

She side stepped him and strode right out the door.

"Bec, please," Daniel was saying out loud. "I really fucked up, ok? I know that."

She stopped. She shouldn't but Beca stopped.

"I want another chance. I really missed you. You don't know how much but I do." She didn't turn around. Daniel could talk to her back for all she cared and he was still talking. "Can we pick up from where we were? Please?"

As easy as that? That fuckface thought it was as easy as that? That this whole year, that few months from hell she had to go through could easily be swept aside and they could go back to where they were?

At her silence, Daniel sighed out loud before saying reluctantly. "Ok, fine. If you want babies, yeah okay, let's have a baby. Whatever you want. We'll work out some sort of arrangement. I have to talk to my lawyers first; just to check..."

Beca slowly looked over her shoulder at someone whom she once thought was the love of her life. He was standing behind her, talking all this pointless shit and she had enough.

"Daniel," Beca said calmly. He stuttered to a stop, looking at her expectantly. "Please don't flatter yourself. Carrying your baby once was mistake enough. Just fuck off right now and don't you ever dare come near me again."

* * *

_This is horse shit!_ Beca was raging inside. _What is with Christmas parties and bad news?_

She was going to get the hell out of here. By any luck, she could catch Stacie before she hooked up with anyone to tell her she was leaving. No chance with Fat Amy. She was probably already in the middle of a heavy make-out session with Bumper. Beca strode out to the mezzanine intending to go into the ballroom and find Stacie when she was greeted with pandemonium. What the hell is happening? Why are there paramedics and H&amp;H staff crowding to the side?

Beca grabbed a girl hurrying past. "Betty? What's happening?"

Betty Suarez blinked up at her, braces shining in the light. She gulped before finally stuttering out, "It's Amanda. She had a seizure. It was madness -" Beca was already running towards the epicentre of the chaos with Betty right by her side. "She started having a fit. No one knew what to do," Betty continued, a little breatheless. "Luckily Jesse was there -"

"Jesse?"

"Yeah, he's with Amanda now -"

"Betty, go and find Marc," Beca ordered urgently. "He should be in the janitor's closet on the third floor. Tell him Amanda's sick. Go."

Betty sped off and Beca quickly wormed her way through the crowd. And just as Betty said, Jesse was standing right by one of the paramedics while another was tending to a groggy looking Amanda.

" - there is no issue about cost," Jesse was saying. "The insurance will cover everything."

"She's coming round. She's going to be ok," the paramedic replied back. "I don't think we need to bring her in. She will be very tired and will need help getting home. Preferably someone should stay the night with her. Do you have her emergency contact?"

"Oh. Umm..." Jesse answered, a little unsure.

"Her emergency contact is Marc St. James," Beca spoke up. Both Jesse and the paramedic turned towards her and Beca neatly stepped forward. "He's just coming. Someone's fetching him right now."

"Oh my god! Amanda!" Marc's voice rang through and he came running up, panting. "Marc St James. Next of..kin. Emergency...contact. Is she..ok?"

It took another hour before the paramedics left, Amanda and Marc went home in a town car that Jesse ordered and the party winded down. Beca glanced at her watch. Two a.m. She felt her head throbbing a little.

"Beca."

Beca looked up to find Jesse in front of her, holding out a bottle of water. She took it, twisted the cap and took a gulp. She was a little too tired to think about the situation that happened between them just now.

"Thanks for helping just now. I wouldn't know Marc was her contact and she was supposed to be my PA."

That cold gulp of water felt good. Beca wiped her mouth and shook her head. "Don't beat yourself up. You are new. If anything, I should have remembered she was prone to having fits when she's drunk. I thought she was sleeping it off."

"Well, thank you anyway. It just made things simpler."Jesse said.

"Yeah, well. It's fine. Can't say H&amp;H parties are dull."

They both chuckled out of awkwardness before falling quiet.

"It's getting late. I should head home," Beca said.

"How are you getting home?" Jesse asked. "Are you going with Stacie and Amy?"

Beca laughed a little. "I think they cleared off before all that drama just now. I didn't see them around when half of H&amp;H was here."

"Can I walk you home?"

Beca was stumped at that question. Jesse was looking at her hopefully. He was very sweet, taking care of Amanda like that and Beca recollected how he took care of her when she had the panic attack trapped in the Archives. Which led to her remembering what happened afterwards.

"I don't think it's a good idea - "

"Beca, it's not about just now," Jesse said. "I just want to make sure you get home safe."

Fuck. What should she do?

Beca's eyes wandered to their surroundings. The party was over and there were still a few people milling about. And then she clocked Daniel Meade. Unlike the others who were lounging and chatting, far too merry with wine, Daniel was walking through the crowd with purpose and Beca knew. She knew he was looking for her. Despite her badass speech just now, she was far too tired and worked up to deal with Daniel Meade. And if there was a scene, she was not entirely sure a full brawl would not start right there.

Daniel was getting nearer and the only reason why he had not spotted her yet was because her slight frame was covered from his view by Jesse Swanson. And in a split second, Beca made her decision.

"You still wanna talk?"

She just threw Jesse a curve ball. Because he was staring at her like he could not believe what he was hearing.

"What?" Jesse finally squeaked. Beca took in what would be the quickest escape route.

"You said you wanna talk." Beca stated matter of factly. She also unleashed the full effect of her blue eyes and Jesse looked suitably dazed.

"Yes."

"Your office ok?"

For a moment, Beca thought this was not going to work. And then Jesse Swanson exhaled a long held breath.

"Ok."

* * *

**_AN : Yeah right. Of course they will 'talk'_**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Can I get you a drink?"

Jesse was still not entirely sure why Beca had changed her mind but he was not about to question his luck. The tiny brunette was standing by the window in his office, staring at the night view below and at his question, she turned to him and nodded wordlessly. Jesse went over to the mini bar on the furthest wall and rummaged round for something to offer her.

"Whisky ok?"

"With a bit of water."

Jesse looked down with surprise at his hands as he prepared the drink for Beca. His hands were shaking. He was nervous? Why was he so nervous? Jesse breathed in deeply to calm himself down and slopped a little more liquor into his glass. He will need a little more liquid courage.

"Here." He handed the drink over to her and Beca smiled her thanks.

"Nice." Beca smacked her lips appreciatively once she had a sip of the whisky. She looked round the office, taking in the large desk, the high spec finish and the impressive floor to ceiling window. "Nice office too."

Jesse shrugged; just because he did not really know what to say next. She was pacing round the room, taking a closer look at the shelves and his desk which only had his sleek desktop, neatly lined up stationery and nothing else.

"No photos. Nothing of a personal nature," Beca commented. "You are all dark and mysterious, Mr. Swanson." She stopped snooping and leaned against his desk, her eyes now resting on him. "What are you trying to hide?"

Jesse smiled disarmingly. "Nothing. I am a very simple man."

"Yeah. Sure you are," Beca replied sounding unconvinced. She was gazing at him like she was trying to dissect him. For a long moment, they were staring at each other; Beca's expression was inquisitive, almost impertinent while Jesse's face was open.

"Are you done scrutinising me?" he spoke up.

Beca shook her head slowly.

"Not enough information. I need to find out more," she replied. Beca tossed her hair out of her face and fixed her disconcerting blue eyes on Jesse. "OK, you wanna talk. So.. talk."

Jesse took a fortifying sip of his drink. He had a rough idea on what he wanted to say. Whether she would throw that glass of fine whisky into his face once she heard what he had to say was another thing. But Jesse Swanson had always been a bit of a gambler.

"Firstly, I would like to apologise," Jesse said. Beca didn't say a word, waiting for him to continue. "That day... I said things are complicated but I should have made it clear that I am with Cassie."

He fell silent, unsure what her reaction would be. He couldn't tell. Beca had an amazing poker face.

"Umm..." Jesse struggled on. He cleared his throat quickly. "So. I'm very sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. That night was amazing but I'm not exactly a free agent. I am sorry if I got your hopes up. I should not have given you the wrong impression -"

"Whoa. Whoa, dude." Beca cut in. Jesse flattered to a stop. She had the most incredulous look on her face. "Back up a little. You are apologising because... you think I thought the sex meant something?"

"Well, yeah..." Jesse said.

"Dude, it was a hook-up."

Ok. Jesse was feeling more than a little stupid now. Why did he always read her wrong? He never read a woman so wrong before.

"We work in the same place and it get can get -" Jesse continued.

"- Awkward," Beca interjected. "Like right now awkward."

Jesse nodded a little miserably.

"Look. It was just sex," Beca said. "Why did you even think I was looking for a boyfriend? Is it because I'm a girl? And girls can't just have sex for fun? We have to be desperate the whole time trying to hook someone to marry us?"

"Yeah. Usually nice girls don't have casual se -" Jesse begun but Beca shut him down.

"Are you calling me a slut?"

"No, that is not what I'm saying," Jesse quickly replied. "I just don't want to hurt you, ok? I think you are amazing and I don't want to hurt you."

"I am perfectly able to take care of myself!" Beca said hotly. "For the record, I am not even looking for a thing right now. Relationships are messy and painful and frankly, I had just about enough with men."

Jesse opened his mouth to reply and was immediately shut down.

"No, don't even say another word! You are digging yourself deeper, mister" Beca hissed sharply.

She felt herself getting angrier and Beca tried calming herself down. Jesse was miserably looking down at his shoes like a naughty school boy caught and punished. Seeing him so contrite, Beca sighed out her frustration. He meant well; she should remember that. He was trying to apologise, he got the wrong end of the stick and when he said he didn't want to hurt her, he sounded so honest and heartfelt.

"It's fine," Beca said, running one hand through her hair. She pondered the situation and spoke out loud."Was I angry to find out you had a girlfriend? Yes. A little. I don't do that kind of shit; I told you. And I worked for Cassie before. This is just odd."

She crossed her arms and with a final look on her face, Beca concluded "But it happened. Neither of us will tell anyone. It's done and over with. We are good."

"See? That's just it," Jesse replied, looking up at her now. Beca was about to straighten up from her perch and leave when Jesse spoke up. A tiny frown marred her forehead and it was her turn to feel unsure.

"What do you mean?"

"We are not good. I am not good," Jesse said slowly. "And I'm definitely not over and done with...this."

Beca watched as he gestured at the space between them.

"I am not sure I get you," she said uncertainly.

"I don't want that to be our only time," Jesse confessed. His eyes were blazing as he said that and something hot flared in her belly as Beca took in that look.

_No, don't. __Oh god, this is fucked up_.

"But you said you are with Cassie -" Beca started.

"I know what I said." Jesse interrupted her, brown eyes nailing her on the spot. His eyes roved over her face and he continued. "I also know what I want."

That intense fire in his eyes felt like it was burning through her skin. She didn't have any rejoiner to that. For the first time that evening, Beca Mitchell was speechless. She took another sip of the whisky to buy some time. He was watching her now, waiting for her next move.

"I don't do people's boyfriends. It is not my thing." Beca replied.

Jesse nodded.

"What if I said Cassie is ok with this?" he said. At Beca's surprised look, Jesse explained. "Cassie and I go way back. We have an understanding. It's very much an open relationship."

"Are you offering what I think you are offering?" Beca said. She was beyond incredulous now.

"All this," Jesse replied confidently, gesturing up and down his body with both hands. "If you are sure you are not looking for a thing, maybe we could do this. Only sex."

"Only sex?"

"Yep," Jesse affirmed. "Sex buddies."

"Whoa dude," Beca interjected. "I don't know you well enough to call you my buddy."

"Ok. Whatever you want to call it," Jesse said. "Of course, this is not an exclusive thing. I know you are dating. I trust you will keep it safe for everyone. So will I." She was still silent and Jesse continued, "We can't do it openly, of course. Cassie and I are very much a couple. If we were to do this, it has to be on the down low."

Beca looked at him appraisingly. She placed the tumbler of whisky on the table, taking her time to let her eyes travelled up and down his body. He was smiling that half smile which Beca thought was charming and hot at the same time.

"Just sex. On the down low without your girlfriend knowing. Just like an affair?" Beca said. "You have unusual taste."

"You have no idea," Jesse growled back, almost amused. "And the girlfriend doesn't mind as long as I go back to her. Sure you won't get all squidy and suddenly want a commitment? Because that will not work."

"Nope. Not looking for a thing."

"So how about it? You game for this?"

"Hang on," Beca said almost crossly. "I need time to process this. You went from _Sorry, I don'to want to hurt you_ to _let's be fuck buddies_ in ten seconds flat. What am I to do next? Sign a contract like Fifty Shades?"

Jesse snorted a little at that.

"That arrangement was stupid and unnecessarily complicated," he replied. "We are both adults here. I like sex. I love great sex. And the sex was amazing with you. We are going to have so much fun."

"You are talking like this is done thing."

"Isn't it?"

"How long are we talking about?"

Beca saw him shrugging his shoulders. "As long as it's good for both of us," he replied.

"Oh. You mean until you fuck me out of your system?" Beca answered back, arching an eyebrow. "I know about that. You men are all the same."

"May I remind you it works both ways? Sometimes things fizzle out," Jesse said. He had that look in his eyes again which somehow tugged at Beca's loins. "Although judging from that day we had, I don't think things are going to fizzle out anytime soon."

"Three months." Beca bargained. "Let's try this for three months. That day might be a fluke. I may not like your technique."

"Trust me. That day was no fluke." Jesse said, his confidence almost spilling over. "So we are doing this?"

_What a presumptuous, arrogant, smug bastard. And fuck, I love it when they are such a dick like this. _

Beca picked up her drink and walked over to where Jesse was standing. She stood in front of him, still trying to decide, still trying to read what the hell was his game. His face was open and honest. There was no game there.

_The sex was good, Beca. Just use him for that. He was more than willing._

"Ok."

"Ok?" Jesse asked back.

"Ok. You've got yourself a deal." Beca said, clinking her glass against his. They both drank to seal the deal. Once he swallowed the fiery liquid, Jesse leant forward to kiss her Beca immediately ducked her head. "Dude, not now! Feels like a business transaction?"

"Ok," he laughed. "Yeah, that was a little weird."

"Let's talk some more, shall we?"

* * *

**Later on**

Her laughter was the most beautiful thing.

Jesse was trying to tell a funny story, about that one time he was stuck on top of a roof trying to escape a date, when Beca laughed out loud, throwing her head back and Jesse was completely entranced. She laughed with her eyes shut, her lips stretched into a happy grin, tiny body shaking, sounding like a happy child and Jesse remembered the first time he saw her laughing with glorious abandon like this. It was at the bar and he remembered thinking how wonderful it would be if he could make her laugh like that.

Maybe it was the alcohol.

Maybe it was not really him that was making her laugh so much.

The whisky bottle stood half empty between them but he was sure they didn't drink that much. They were sitting a foot apart next to each other on the floor, facing the floor to ceiling window. There was perfectly good sofa but somehow, in between the hours they were here, it seemed to be a good idea to sit on this plush carpet, knocking back this lovely whisky with the view out of the window of the twinkling lights below.

He was in his shirt sleeves, black bow tie undone, collar and cuffs unbuttoned. He had taken off his jacket which was now hanging on the back of the chair opposite his desk. It was very late. No, it was extremely early. It must be around 4 a.m. Jesse's eyes felt gritty with tiredness. He should head home and get some rest but he didn't really want to. She was laughing and they were drinking and talking. This was a good place to be.

"So did anyone rescue you?" Beca said, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. "I cannot believe the date went that badly."

Jesse just smiled. "It did."

Beca snorted and looked at him wryly. "I feel you, dude. I got my share of bad dates."

"So what happened to that blonde guy at the restaurant?" Jesse asked. Did he sound casual? He hoped he sounded casual.

Beca was just gulping down a mouthful of whisky and she frowned up at him. "Which one? Oh. You mean Mark? He's cool."

"You're still seeing him?"

"Couple of times." Beca replied. "Went to his place in the Hamptons with Stacie. Needed a get out clause, you know."

"Get out clause?" Jesse said, half smiling half frowning. "What in the world for?"

"I didn't really want to stay over," Beca explained, her eyes twinkling merrily. "Stacie faked the most God awful fashion emergency and we hightailed it back to the city."

It was his turn to laugh.

"Don't laugh," Beca said pushing him lightly on his shoulder. "It was the least she could do after setting me up with these ridiculous matches."

"Matches? Like matches?" Jesse said incredulously. OH! This was gold. He never thought Beca Mitchell was into online dating. "Mark was an online date?"

"Shut up."

Jesse was trying hard not to laugh. She would legit kill him if he did. "How about that guy at the bar? The one with the specs and floppy hair? Was he an online match too?"

Beca pulled a face in disgust. "Eddie? Ugh no. Totally false advertising. Said he was a music composer but secretly wanted to be an accountant." Jesse was halfway laughing through this revelation when Beca suddenly piped up. "Wait...how did you know Eddie wears glasses?"

Jesse hiccuped to a stop. "I was at the bar and saw the both of you," he replied casually. "I guess the date didn't end well?"

"It was fine," Beca replied. "But I just don't want to waste his time, you know. Just in case he was looking for something more."

Jesse stared at her profile. "You are really seriously about this whole no relationship thing, huh?"

"Yep. Pretty much. Been there, done that, got the tshirt."

Her tone was flippant but she was staring out of the window again and took another large gulp of her drink. There was a story there; he knew. Jesse also knew she wouldn't tell him if he asked her about it right now.

"So why did you do then?" Jesse asked. "Why do you go on all these dates?"

"Because my friends are awful," Beca said. "They seem to think between them, they can unearth a halfway decent man for me. And I love my girls. They helped me through a lot. I would do anything for those crazy bitches."

Beca laughed a little but this time that laugh wasn't as free as before. It was tinged with a little sadness that burbled out unguarded. Jesse watched as the laugh died down and a pensive look stole over her face. Something or someone was taking over her thoughts now and he sensed her thoughts were not entirely happy.

Beca turned her face slightly when she felt his fingers on her skin. He was carefully tucking a stray curl back over her ear but when that was done, he didn't remove his hand. He was gently stroking her cheek with his thumb, his eyes roving round her face. His hand cradling her face felt warm and Beca leaned her face into his palm, smiling slightly at him.

His kiss was soft. And shy. Like he was tasting her for the first time.

He was leaning into her but not touching her except for that one hand on her neck and his soft lips on hers. Beca wanted to loop her arms around his neck. She wanted to pull him closer, to urge him to kiss her deeper but he was keeping it slow, almost chaste. And she felt herself melting at the unhurried sweetness of that kiss. When they finally broke apart, she could feel the grin on his lips, mere millimetres from hers. He sighed a little before kissing the corner of her mouth.

"I have to confess I didn't just see you at the bar with Eddie. " Jesse murmured softly. " I was literally staring at you the whole time."

"Were you?" Beca drawled teasingly.

"I believe the term Donald used was eye-fucking?" Jesse replied huskily. "He said I was eye-fucking you non-stop."

"Dude, that is a little bit creepy." She was laughing softly as she said that, the dark mood she was in a few minutes ago had disappeared.

"I meant what I said. I can't keep myself away from you." Jesse said seriously. "You can be in a crowd and I can still pick you out. Like just now before the party; I saw you straightaway."

Beca huffed out in resignation. "I was hoping to blend in with this outfit."

Jesse just shook his head.

"You can never blend in, Beca." He was still sitting feet apart from her. Jesse lightly traced his index finger first along her lower lip before slowly running it along her neck and further down to the left side of her jacket. "I saw you in this jacket. Trying not draw attention to yourself. And you know what I thought?"

He caught the lapel, rubbing the material between his fingers.

"All I can think of was how sexy you'll look if you were wearing my jacket. With nothing underneath except a pair of panties and heels."

He drew back, letting go of her jacket.

Beca held his gaze for a moment before placing the tumbler of whisky on the carpet. She rose up slowly and stepped away from him, walking towards the middle of the room. Jesse's eyes followed her back as she unbuttoned her jacket letting it fall onto the floor. Her bra was next and now he could see her white, smooth back; flawless with the flower tattoo on her shoulder and a dark inked inscription on her lower back. She reached the chair where his jacket was slung and in one fluid movement, Beca swung his jacket round, pulling it on before stepping out of her trousers.

And then she slowly turned round to face him.

Her hands were tucked demurely over her breasts underneath his jacket as she languidly sat down at the edge of the black leather swivel chair. She crossed her legs in the red high heels, one over the other.

"Well, Mr. Swanson? Just like you thought?"

Jesse was still on the floor, drinking the sight of her in. He was not in any particular hurry, taking his time to get up and walk over, drink in hand. Beca just smiled up at him as he loomed over her, his eyes still scorching her with their intensity. The only time he looked away was when he tipped the whisky into his mouth in one swift gulp before placing the glass on his desk.

"No." Jesse answered. "Not quite."

He lowered himself to his knees, hands grabbing the back of her head, bringing her lips to his. If his kiss just now was chaste, this was entirely the opposite. It was demanding and wanting, taking no prisoners. His hands roughly pushed her knees apart so he could pulled her closer against him.

Beca moaned into his mouth as his hands travelled up her sides under his jacket before cupping her breasts possessively. Rough fingers squeezing, thumbs swiping against her nipples. She was pushed back onto the seat as he shifted his attention to her neck, kissing, sucking, biting while his hands moulded her breasts and teased her nipples. Beca felt like she was a quivering mess at the feel of his mouth and hands. There was something sensuous about feeling the satin lining of his jacket sliding against her bare, heated skin as the owner of that jacket voraciously consumed her.

His mouth was all over her breasts now. Beca could only make incoherent sounds as his lips and teeth enjoyed her breasts. One moment his teeth would scraped against her and the next his soft tongue would soothe it over. "You've got the most perfect breasts," he murmured against her skin before burying his face in between. He took each nipple in turn, sucking it to a puckered bud over and over again. He pressed both breasts together, growling "I love seeing your nipples like this." before rapaciously attacking both rests.

Beca threaded her fingers through his hair, grunting a little when his nips and bites were a little too eager. Jesse drew back to look at his handiwork. His eyes were glittering as his fingers gently ran over the bites he made on her pale skin. He seemed satisfied and lowered his head down, his mouth kissing her softly between her breasts before trailing further down.

Beca looked down at the sight of his head, dark, soft locks against her fair skin. He was running his hands up her legs as he rained kisses on her soft belly just above her panties. He looked up at her, his eyes wicked and then his mouth closed over her sex. Beca threw her head back, a gritty groan falling from her lips. That shot of pleasure made her body tensed up and it intensified as Jesse continued to feast on her. His hands were under her, holding her prisoner as his mouth sucked and bit and licked her through her lacy panties.

She thought she was a quivering mess just now but she was so wrong. That relentless way his mouth and tongue were moving. She was under an onslaught of one fantastic sensation after another; each making her feel weaker and less in control. And when he pushed her panties down, hiked her legs over his shoulder and his mouth closed on her bare flesh, Beca cried out loud. Her hands were scrabbling around, trying to find something to hold on to, trying to at least hang on to some shred of control. But the tip of his tongue was hard against her clit and then soft as he lapped against her folds; she could not help the raspy moans coming out of her throat.

She stared at the ceiling unseeing.

He was groaning against her, fingers digging into her ass, pulling her exposed sex higher against his mouth, lapping non-stop, licking non-stop and when his mouth closed on her clit, suckling hard against it, Beca exploded. Crying out, eyes tightly shut, body curling, fingers digging into his scalp. She fell back, groaning, rocking helplessly against his mouth, and his hands kept her steady as he continued to lap her up.

Her breaths was loud and heavy as she fell back onto the chair, her hands clutching on the arms. Her body was still jerking with the aftershocks of her orgasm. The feel of the leather seat under her and the cold, chrome arms she was holding on to felt like the only thing anchoring her to this world. Her hair falling over her face, into her eye and mouth and Beca wanted to brush it away. But her arms and legs were far too weak. When her breathing finally slowed down, when the waves battering her finally receding, Beca found some strength to open her eyes to find Jesse staring down at her.

She reached up for him, crashing her lips against his, tearing at the buttons on his shirt. Her hands were at his belt, trying to unbuckle it when he caught both of them, laughing deep in his throat. Beca huffed impatiently as he pulled her hands away. She tried to catch his lips but Jesse's hands were on her shoulders, maddeningly keeping her away. Beca launched herself at him and they both fell back on the floor. She was trying to straddle him but Jesse easily flipped her onto her back, pinning her arms to the carpet with his hands.

He was laughing still, eyes twinkling at her impatience. Beca looked up at him, frustration clearly on her face. Jesse let go of her arms, lifting himself off her and sat back, looking down at her. He trailed one hand down her front, pushing aside his jacket, feasting on the sight of her pale body against the dark cloth. His other hand slowly pushed her legs apart, opening her up to him. Beca could not stifled that groan as his fingers ran over her sex, still so sensitive after her orgasm.

His eyes were raking hungrily over her.

"Just how I imagine it," Jesse murmured. "Just you. Naked in my jacket. Hickeys on your breasts. Wet and wanting me."

Whatever control he had been exercising for the past hour was discarded away. Jesse unzipped his trousers and Beca watched as he stroked his hardness a few times before putting on a condom. And the next moment, he was on top of her, pressing urgently into her and both of them grunted out loud as he entered her. His hardness was delicious, so heavy and filling and when he moved, easing himself out, all she wanted was him back inside.

"Fuck. It's...better..than I remembered," Jesse groaned, thrusting himself into her again. And again.

Beca drew her knees to her chest, angling herself up and Jesse grunted again, shifting his hips, filling her more. He stared down at the sight of her throwing her head back, eyes closed, whimpering with pleasure. His strokes were getting harder and faster and Beca was seeing stars. Jesse's face was in her neck, his hand squeezing her breast tightly. Jesse mumbled desperately, "Ah fuck..I'm...not going to last long."

"Let me turn around."

Jesse reluctantly eased himself out and Beca quickly shrugged his jacket off, turning round to face the floor. Her knees and arms were tucked underneath, one hand rubbing between her legs. Beca moaned a little at the frisson of pleasure running up from her core. She just needed him inside her now. She looked over her tattooed shoulder at Jesse who was staring down at the perfection offered before him.

He saw where her hand was. He heard that little moan. And when his eyes met hers, almost dark blue with want, he could not bear it any longer. He slammed himself inside her, invading her tightness, feeling her walls gripping him and milking him. He had to grunt out because it was too good to bear. Why has it never been this good?

She was shuddering underneath him, around him, moaning so deliciously. He want to swallow those moans in his mouth. He wanted to feel and hoard each spasm within her. He wanted everything her body could give. Every inch of her skin, every sweetness her flesh could offer, every pleasure he could take from her sex, her breasts, her mouth, her ass. Jesse thrusted in harder, pushing her off her knees onto the floor. He could not stop now. No. The whole of H&amp;H could parade by and he would still not stop fucking this beautiful woman underneath him. And with a final push, Jesse came so fast and so hard that he had to bite down on her shoulder to stifle his cry.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Beca carefully jiggled her key into the last lock, hoping she was not making too much noise. The first three locks had been fine but this last one was always tricky. She sighed in relief with her key caught and the lock tumbled open. Slowly, she pushed the door opened, jamming her leg in the gap and as usual, Snowball bounded up to the door, mewing far too loudly.

"Shh, Snowball, keep quiet!" Beca shushed her cat, rapidly picking him up as she slithered into the apartment and closed the door quietly behind her. Snowball answered her with an accusing mew and Beca made a face at her cat. "I know. I know. I should've come home yesterday. Aunt Chloe's going to give me hell, ok? So we have to keep really quiet until...oh."

Beca took in the empty apartment. Usually Chloe was already up by this time and salsa would be blaring out of her tiny transistor radio as she did the chores. Beca still didn't understand why Chloe loved to do that. They had a kick-ass sound system but Chloe always insisted on using that cheap radio when she wanted to listen to some salsa. Said it reminded her of her early dance lessons when she was about five.

Wait. Why was Beca thinking about all that? Chloe was not home right now and Beca Mitchell had things she needed to do. She immediately let her cat down and dashed into her room. Beca peeled off the wrinkled pantsuit, shoved them deep into her laundry hamper, totally ignoring the _Dryclean Only_ label, grabbed her bathrobe and headed straight for the shower.

* * *

"Come over my place."

"What?" Beca answered a little blearily. That sex just now had been intense. On the floor of his office no less. And they had both fall apart, panting, trying to catch their breath. Beca was feeling a little lightheaded. Did Jesse just asked her to go back to his place? "Your place? Dude, no..."

"Why not?" Jesse was whining now. He turned to his side, giving Beca that irresistable lopsided smile. " I'll make you breakfast."

"No..." she repeated a little drowsily.

He wouldn't take that for an answer. She finally gave it because it was something like 5 a.m, she was tired, the floor of his office was not that comfortable and he was giving her these puppy dog looks which were so hard to resist.

After bit of devious dodging when leaving the building, they met round the corner one block down and took a cab to his place. He had that look in his eyes again as the elevator rapidly rose up the high rise to his apartment. They were barely through the door when he easily picked her up and went straight to his bedroom, their lips already locked together.

The second time was fast and furious and both of them fell into an exhausted sleep. She was awakened hours later, blinking in the noon day sun with the feel of his mouth teasing her nipples. Beca rubbed the sleep away from her eyes, looking down at Jesse eagerly mouthing her breasts. Her body was already tingling and she arched her back, pushing more of herself into his mouth. He had growled back, squeezing both breasts hard. Just when she was moaning out loud and grinding herself into him, Jesse let go with a laugh, announcing breakfast was ready.

She threw a pillow at him.

She could not be mad at him for long though. Not when that boy made a mean scrambled eggs, all fluffy and warm, on thick cut seeded toast with a pile of bacon and good, strong coffee. Jesse had watched her eating hungrily, with a huge smile on his face. She had squirted ketchup all over the eggs and was methodically putting the whole meal away. He thought she just looked so adorable concentrating hard on her food.

"Any plans for today?" he had asked.

Beca wiped the crumbs off her mouth, took another slug of coffee before replying. "Yeah. Why?"

"Oh." came his answer. "I thought we could hang out. Maybe watch some DVDs? Anything you like. I've got loads. Action movies, musicals, romcoms. We could watch The Notebook? Chicks love Ryan Gosling."

Beca had frowned at that. "Firstly, don't call me a chick. Secondly, I've told you, I'm not into movies. And thirdly, who the hell is Ryan Gosling?"

He had looked both aghast and insulted at the same time, his mouth hanging open at her cluelessness. How can she not like movies? How can she not know Ryan Gosling? Hell, even he knew Ryan Gosling. The rest of that meal consisted of Jesse being increasingly scandalised that she, Beca Mitchell, had not seen a movie on TV, DVD nor Netflix for months, let alone in a cinema.

The expression of growing horror on his face as he questioned her on which movies she had or had not seen, was actually very funny.

"Titanic?"

"The documentary?" Beca said.

"No, the movie!" Jesse nearly yelled out in disbelief. "Jack and Rose? My heart will go on?"

"Yeah, heard the song. Can't stand Celine Dion."

Beca was sure he was looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"Ok, Rocky? No? How about Jaws? Come on! That tune. Da-dum da-dum dahdum dahdum dahdum -"

"Eh."

"You are killing me here!" Jesse was clutching his head with both hands, looking wounded. He stared at her nonchalantly chewing the last bit of her toast. "How about E.T? Please tell me you've seen E.T. Alien stranded on earth? Phone home? Flying bicycles?"

Jesse made pedalling motions with his hands to demonstrate flying bicycles. And he groaned out loud at the blank look on Beca's face.

"But the ending -" he choked out, looking stricken.

"What about the ending?"

"It's the best part! And only one of the saddest endings I've ever seen. I cried at that ending, man,"Jesse said, sounding slightly hysterical. 'Ok, tell me you have watched Star Wars at least."

This was quite fun. She had seen Star Wars, of course and yeah, she too cried at the end of E.T. but it was just too much fun to pretend she had not even heard of those movies and messed around with him.

She had a quick clean in Jesse's bathroom. It was modern and sleek like the rest of the apartment. He was happy to ply her with thick, fluffy towels and said she could use anything in there. The only complication had been the lack of toothbrush.

"Ran out?" Beca teased.

Surely he had a stash somewhere? Beca would not be surprised if he had a private collection of used toothbrushes etched with the names of all his conquests displayed somewhere.

"I don't keep any spares," Jesse said, rubbing the back of his neck and blushing a little. "Umm..no one ever stayed over."

That was weird. Beca ran her eyes over the sink stand with the cool marble top. All his stuff were neatly, almost obsessively lined up. Same for the cabinet when she searched for that toothbrush just now.

"I would've expect some woman stuff in here at least," Beca said. "Razors, moisturisers, tampons. That sort of thing."

"Whatever for?" Jesse said, looking quite puzzled.

"Umm... Cassie's?"

For a moment, Jesse looked like he was caught out but that look was gone in a flash. "No. Cassie doesn't come here. We...ermm..usually hang out at her place."

"You guys are weird," Beca replied, wrinkling her forehead at him in the mirror. "I would've thought you'll be staying together. Didn't you move all the way from LA to be with her?"

Jesse was now standing behind her, both of them facing the large mirror over the wash stand. She had one of his tshirts on. He had left it on the bed for her and she had pulled it on when she got up. It swamped her a little and now Jesse was running his hand underneath the soft cotton, from her taut stomach up to her breast.

"Do you really want to talk about Cassie now?" Jesse murmured, lightly scratching her nipple with his fingernails. Beca's breath hitched a little and a smile came to his lips. Jesse bent his head closer to her ear, catching her earlobe in between his teeth. "Cassie and I need our own space. We agreed on that."

Both his hands were cupping her breasts now, fingers twisting and playing with her pebbled buds.

"Besides, it means I can do anything I want," he whispered, one hand trailing down over her bare sex, pulling her sharply towards him. "...like..maybe taking you right here, right now. In front of this mirror."

Beca was staring at the sight of him, his dark head bent over neck, teeth grazing over her delicate skin. His hand dipped down between her legs, seeking her softness just here and Beca groaned, her hand fisting into his hair.

"Or perhaps..." he whispered. "...in the shower?"

Beca turned round, smashing her mouth on his. He picked her up by her waist, settling her on the stand. Her legs were wrapped around him and it was several minutes of hot kissing, before Beca drew back and said huskily. "Shower. But let me go in first."

Jesse reluctantly stepped back, letting her hop down from the stand and walked into the shower. It was big enough for two with dark blue tiles on the back wall and chrome fittings. Beca twisted her hair into a bun and switched on the shower head, adjusting the temperature. When she was happy with it, she turned to look at Jesse who was watching her with amusement. Beca smiled at him before stepping under the warm water.

She didn't take his tshirt off.

She stood, her face upturned towards the shower head, her eyes closed under the torrent of water blasting down. She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew the water was running all over her, wetting the tshirt, making it stick to her naked body underneath. She knew he would see how the wet shirt clung to her breasts, her pink nipples outlined against the thin fabric, how it stuck to her firm tummy, her hips and her ass. How it would lined out the enticing V at the apex of her thighs.

Beca pushed a lever on the wall and the water immediately rained down from the large square rain faucet mounted on the ceiling. She gasped at how cold the water was before it finally warmed up. Her hair unravelled at the onslaught of water from the top and Beca closed her eyes and whipped her hair back, laughing. Her fingers were at the hem of the shirt, ready to peel it off when she felt his hands on her. She opened her eyes, blinking the water away and Jesse was standing naked in front of her, hot lust burning in his eyes.

"You'll be the death of me. I swear." he muttered thickly "Don't take that shirt off yet."

He was kissing her, pinning her roughly against the cold tiles. His hand was pressed on her white throat as his tongue delved into her mouth. He wasn't gentle, teeth biting her bottom lip, giving her bruising kisses, one after another. She was groaning into his mouth, just the way he liked and Jesse impatiently pushed her higher against the wall, hiking her right leg up with his forearm.

"I want you so much right now," he mumbled, grinding into her. Then he drew back, swearing a little. "I forgot the condom. Let me get one."

He was about to step out of the shower when Beca stopped him. "What's the hurry? Let me wash you first."

She reached for the shower sponge and his bodywash, squirted a little of it and started to lather up. Jesse watched as Beca carefully ran the soapy sponge on his shoulders and his neck, then his chest and further down his abs. She ran her slippery hands up his sides, edging his arms away from his body before thoroughly soaping one well toned arm after another. Beca then lowered herself to her knees, sponge still in hand. Jesse wondered when she would take him into her mouth. She couldn't exactly missed his raging hard on. But Beca ignored it completely, dragging the sponge from his foot up to his muscled thigh, one leg after the other. Her fingers were digging into his calves and inner thighs, massaging deeply into the flesh his Jesse grunted out with pleasure.

She came nimbly back onto her feet.

"Turn around," came the order and he complied, letting her scrub his back. The sponge felt good on his skin. A little rough and her fingers were so strong, massaging into his muscles. She ran her hands down from his shoulders to his waist and then the next, Jesse felt her pressing against him. She had removed the tshirt and now her naked, slippery body was rubbing his back. He wanted to turn around and have her there and then but her arms were snaking round his waist, hand still holding the sponge. Beca deliberately dropped the sponge and Jesse watched it fell down down to the floor as if in slow motion. He couldn't care less because she closed her slippery, soapy hand around his hardness.

Muttered curses fell from his lips. The feel of warm water raining down him, her slippery breasts behind him, the warm open mouth kisses she was pressing on his cold skin, the feel of her skilful hands slowly building up a rhythm, gilding and slick along his shaft. He closed his eyes, giving in to the pleasure of her hands. She seemed to know when he was close. Because she would slow down to let him calm down before teasingly speeding up, bringing him to the edge again. Just when he thought she would let him finish, Beca suddenly dropped her hands, stepping away from him. He turned around, more impatient than ever, pushing her back to the wall again.

"You tease." Jesse growled. "Let me fuck you."

Beca shook her head, giving him a naughty smile. She slid down the tiled wall to her knees, looking up at him. Her wet hair was plastered to her face and Jesse brushed the wet strands back. Without breaking eye contact, Beca opened her mouth. Her tongue flicked out against his hard head and it took all of his control not to ram his whole dick into her mouth.

"Beca..." Jesse groaned urgently. "Please."

"Mmm. So impatient," she purred.

She then leaned back, her hand reaching for the fallen sponge. With her eyes still on him, Beca ran the sponge all over her breasts, soaping and lathering them up generously. Jesse had thought her breasts were perfect already but seeing them wet and glistening with the pink buds peeking through the suds, he could not bear it any longer. She was pressing them together with her hands and with a groan, Jesse pushed his shaft in between.

Fuck, that felt good. So soft and slippery and the sight of Beca looking so freaking sexy with her wet hair, wet mouth, staring up at him. He just could not stop any longer. Jesse braced his hands on the wall and kept riding, kept fucking those beautiful breasts. His grunts and groans were echoing in that shower, he felt her dribbling more soap in between her breasts, he was pressing hard against her, gasping at how good this felt until with a cry, he came all over her chest. Her hands closed around him, gently pumping his semi-hardness until he was drained dry.

Jesse panted a little, his knees feeling a little weak and then he reached down to pull her up to her feet. He kissed her ferociously, hand grasping her wet hair and pulling her head back. The warm water was raining endlessly over them. Jesse released his hold on her hair and his hand trailed down to her chest, tenderly washing away his spent until her chest was clean. He then kissed her again, catching her bottom lip before letting go and staring down at her with his brown eyes.

"Your turn."

* * *

Beca spat the toothpaste out into her sink and gargled her mouth clean. She stared at the mirror at her face. She did not look any different yet why was she acting so out of character? Why did she agreed to this? And to go back to his place and talked about Cassie so casually; like this fuck buddy arrangement was the most natural thing in the world. It was unlike her to be so blasé about bedding someone's boyfriend. What had she gotten herself into?

Beca ran her hand through her hair, quickly tying it up in a bun, still thinking about this rather unique arrangement she had walked into. Yes, this was only a physical relationship. And he did say he and Cassie were in an open what if he was lying? He seemed pretty cagey just now, distracting her with his mouth and hands. This whole Cassie-Jesse situation was just plain weird.

The second shower felt good.

At least Beca felt more like herself. She dried herself off, closely examining her skin in the mirror. Yep, button-ups and turtlenecks for the next week. At least, until those hickeys fade. It was winter; it wouldn't look out of place for her to wear those. They would just need to be more careful next time. Wait. What? Next time? Was she sure she wanted to continue with this?

But the sex though.

Beca felt a little hot thinking about what happened in the shower. She would not forget the way the water ran over her as he knelt in front of her, his hands grasping her bottom. She had goosebumps on her skin; not from the water but from the way his tongue was delving into her over and over. The coolness of the water and the hotness of his tongue and mouth. That was enough to reduced her to a groaning, shuddering mess.

"Beca? Are you home?"

Perfect timing. Chloe's back.

"In here!" Beca hollered. She took one last look in the mirror before zipping up her faded Barden Bella hoody up to her chin and coming out of the bathroom. Chloe was busy unpacking groceries out of bags on top of the kitchen counter with Snowball winding round her feet.

"Hey, did you just came in? Where were you?" Chloe immediately launched into her attack. "Stacie and Amy texted me like a thousand times. We nearly sent out a search party."

Beca reached out for an apple and starts munching on it. "I'm fine."

"I can see that, " Chloe retort back. "Why are you back so late?"

"Chaos at the party." Beca replied casually. "Amanda, you'd remember her...she had a fit. Paramedics were called. No one knew what to do. I stayed round to help."

"The girls didn't say anything about that," Chloe said.

"Yeah. Happened quite late. I suspect they were busy elsewhere by then."

"Did you had a hook up?" Chloe said suddenly.

"Whoa, what's with the inquisition? Of course not." Beca protested. She didn't quite know why she chose to lie to her best friend and room mate. Chloe was looking at her suspiciously and Beca immediately piped up. "I just needed to work some stuff out. Daniel cornered me down at the party."

"OH MY GOD! He did what?" Chloe shrieked out loud, nearly dropping the carton of milk she was holding. Beca knew that was what she had to say to quickly change the topic. "WHAT did that fuckface do?!"

"Hang on." Beca was momentarily distracted by her phone buzzing crazily on the counter. It was showing a few messages from an unknown number and reading the preview, Beca whipped the phone away, quickly scrolling through.

_Hey, just checking you got home ok._

_And this phone number is correct._

_You did not give me a fake number, right?_

_Beca_

_Oh god, you gave me a fake number._

_Becaw_

What the hell? Beca screwed her eyes shut, wondering for the second time what did she got herself into. All these texts. He was a serial texter.

"Becaaaaaa!"

Beca nearly dropped her phone at Chloe's wail. Chloe was anxiously looking at her, jiggling between one foot to the other. "What did Daniel do? That bastard! Tell me you kick him in the nuts!"

Beca hastily dropped her phone into the pocket of her hoody. "No.. umm.. he just wanted to get back together."

"He said what?!" Chloe's face was as red as her hair. It was her turn to take out her phone, quickly pressing a speed dial. "That's it. I'm calling the girls. Don't worry, babe. They'll be here in like half an hour. We will all cuddle in front of the TV and eat ice -"

"Chloe, I'm fine." Beca said with a sigh. Seriously? Why do they always do this?

"Nu'uh, you are not fine." Chloe shook her head firmly, phone pressed to her ear. "Look at you. You're in a state of shock...Stacie? Yeah, it's Red. What the hell happened last night? Fuckface was all up B's business. Yeah. Wanted to get back together with her."

Chloe had held the phone away for a moment and Beca sighed when she heard Stacie's shriek. They could hear Stacie babbling now and Chloe put the phone back to her ear, rapidly talking to Stacie. Beca's phone was buzzing in her pocket and after ascertaining that Chloe was far too busy with her conversation with Stacie, Beca took out her phone, surreptiously scrolling through the messages.

_Sorry, whoever this number is. _

_This amazing girl gave me this number._

_Now I'm sure she fake-numbered me. Sorry._

Oh for fuck's sake. Beca quickly typed a reply

_Dude! It's the right number. Stop stalking me._

The reply was almost instantaneous.

_Hey :) You got home ok?_

She had to stifle that smile. He was such a weirdo and a dickhead but he was still so sweet.

_Yeah, I did. Now stop texting me._

_Sexting ok? I wouldn't mind a boob pic._

Oh my god.

_Dude, no. No boob pic. _

Beca's eyes hovered over her screen waiting for his reply.

_No need. I think I have the sight of your wet boobs seared in my brain now. _

_Ok, that was a bit pervy. Sorry._

Beca was trying not to laugh out loud. She was about to text back when Chloe's voice caught her attention. "Ok, make sure you'll call Amy. I'll get CR and Lily."

"Chloe," Beca sighed at an infinite time. "I'm fine. There's no need for all this -"

The buzzer downstairs sounded loud and Beca's first reaction was of horror. He did not do anything stupid like appearing at her doorstep, did he? She must have looked panic stricken because Chloe was staring at her before going to the buzzer and checking who it was.

"It's Mark." Chloe said and Beca was even more confused.

Mark. Oh. OH. Shit! They had a date.

"Fuck,I forgot my date with Mark. Ugh, stall him, Chloe." Beca didn't wait for answer before rushing into her bedroom and hurriedly putting on some presentable clothes. She heard Chloe opening the door, Mark's voice and then both of them talking. Beca was too busy applying her make-up, taking care to apply tonnes of concealer on her neck to listen in before quickly styling her hair. She came back to the living room and Mark looked up at her, smiling. He had a bunch of flowers in his hand.

"Hi, sorry I'm late." Beca said, standing a little awkwardly as Mark swooped in for a kiss on her cheek and handed the flowers to her. Ugh. She really hated getting flowers. She never knew what to do with them.

Chloe witnessed how stiff Beca was and hoping to lighten the mood, she quickly piped up, "Mark was telling me he's bringing you for afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental. How special is that? I've always wanted to go."

"Well, it would be my pleasure to bring both of you," Mark said gallantly.

"Oh no!" Chloe had her hand over her mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I don't want to third wheel."

"No, it's fine," Beca spoke up. "I'm ok with that. If Mark is ok."

Mark nodded and Beca just chivvied Chloe to get ready and before long they were on their way to the Mandarin Oriental.

* * *

The texting didn't stop. Throughout the rather stiff but delicious afternoon tea, Beca tried to ignore her buzzing phone. But Jesse's text were much more enjoyable than sitting here, delicately sipping tea and nibbling on sandwiches making polite conversation. Chloe was in her element though - she loved this kind of thing and Beca was so thankful she came along. At least she did not feel so guilty excusing herself to pop to the restroom to check her phone. Chloe was entertaining Mark with her chat and both of them were talking about how he had to learn to dance as part of his contillion ball.

_Are you serious about not liking movies?_

_Dude, we talked about this._

_I cannot believe you._

_Believe what you want, dude._

_That's it. You need some sort of educating in movies. And I'm going to do this for you._

Beca bit her lip in an effort not to laugh out loud. He was definitely weird.

_Yeah? When will this be? In between sex? Which will be like always._

His reponse was a quick_ \- Glad to know you'll want it always. ;)_

_I'll work a schedule out - _he continued.

_Just like sex. we are going to start slow. And gradually work ourselves up to a climax._

_Which of course is the greatest film ever "The Breakfast Club."_

Beca could not keep that giggle down at the series of texts he was sending. Shit, he was making her giggle in this rather posh restroom.

_Dude, were you even born when that movie came out? - _she typed back quickly_._

His answer was a_¯\\_(__ツ__)_/¯_

_You are a hardcore case. We have to start with the basics. I cannot believe you don't like movies._

Beca thought for a bit before quickly texting back_ \- I watched a porno when I was 13. I like that movie ;)_

* * *

Jesse stared at her reply and laughed out loud._ God, she's amazing. _He rolled onto his back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. They had been texting almost non-stop for the past hour and she just gets funnier and funnier. That humour, that sarcastic mouth, that body and all that sex? Pretty explosive combination. And he could not believe she agreed to do this. _Don't fuck it up, Swanson. Just don't fuck it up._

His phone buzzed again and he read the next text.

_Dude, did you just fainted? Because you didn't text me back like in 0.5 seconds._

Jesse smiled and typed back_. _

_Nope, still here. Just thinking of all the porn I wanted to show you._

Her reply came._ Long list, huh? Just as long as no donkeys are involved, I'm fine._

Jesse chuckled loudly and was ready to reply back about this hot video involving whipped cream and chocolate sauce when she sent another text.

_I'll leave you to your porn. Gotta go back to my date._

Jesse frowned a little at that.

_You are on a date?_

_Yeah. With Mark. Tea at the Mandarin._

He hesitated a little before typing back.

_Sounds swish._

_Yep. Gotta go._

Jesse's mouth twisted a little as he thought of what he should say. There was only one thing he could say and he slowly typed his reply.

_OK. Go back to your date. Have fun._

* * *

**AN** : _Hey, thank you for still reading and for your follows and favourites. It makes me so happy. It's going to be quite heavy shmex in the next few chapters. I hope that would not put anyone off. Just so I'm not offending anyone, please can I have a vote:_

A. OH MY GOD! This story is pure filth. Stop the sex already!

B. OH MY GOD! This story is pure filth. More already!

C. Eh. You call this M? I get more M from an empty bag of M&amp;Ms

And oh, **I gladly take requests :)** **For the shmex, that it**. Leave it in a review or if you are a bit shy, PM me. If it fits the plot and not too out there, I'll find a way to fit it in.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N** : _So sorry! I'm so so sorry for long absence. I was on vacation and it's hard writing shmex with family around. Hope this was worth the wait. I'm not entirely sure whether it was hot enough. A few more shmex chapters hopefully before the plot moves on._

* * *

****Chapter Seventeen****

****Christmas****

It was not that kind of relationship.

When Beca found herself checking her phone just in case Jesse sent a text, she silently chastised herself and rammed in into her jeans. No, it was definitely not that type of relationship. He had very clear about the rules. No strings, no attachments, keep it on the down low and just have fun. And if it stops being fun for either of them, they could just be adults and walk away from this arrangement.

He didn't need to text her or wish her Merry Christmas or tell her what he was doing. Why should he? It was purely a sexual relationship. They'll hook up when both of them were in the mood. No other obligation except both of them having hot sex and getting off. He did not need... no, they did not need to check in with each other, or make time to see each other or wonder what the other was doing at this precise minute.

So she should really stop checking her phone to see whether he sent a text.

She also needed to unpack.

Beca stared at her luggage on her bed and listlessly unzipped the bag. Might as well get the unpacking over and done with. The trip to her dad's for Christmas was the usual uncomfortable affair of trying to be nice to Sheila when she wanted nothing more than to stick a fork into her eye and run out screaming. Especially when Sheila kept asking whether she was going out with anyone, that she's not getting any younger, she should really have babies by now and give her dad some grandkids. It was no use hoping that her dad will step in to help because Dr. Mitchell was always too engrossed in a book or an article to see the silent imploring looks from his only daughter.

Once she upended her bag of dirty clothes into the laundry, Beca walked back into the living room. Snowball mewed loudly and she stooped down to pick him up. "Mama miss you, baby," she crooned to the fat cat, hugging him close. "Did you like your Christmas present? What did Aunt Chloe got you?"

She padded over to coffee table, noticing the pile of presents for the first time since she came in. Chloe had left a note. She was at her parents for Christmas but will be taking an extended Christmas break. Some last minute trip she was going on. Beca's mouth twisted slightly as she read the note. It was unlike Chloe to be so vague. "..._presents from the girls._ " Chloe wrote on. _"Something was delivered for you. Merry Christmas, Beca. Love you! Xox. Red."_

Beca sat on the sofa and with Snowball on her lap, she unwrapped the higgledy piggledy pile of presents. A top that she wanted from Chloe, some nice nail polish and make-up from Lily, CR sent some old CDs she had been hunting for ages and Beca hesitated before she opened Amy's and Stacie's presents. You'd never know what those two would give. Beca was correct to be a little wary – she hastily put back the eye-watering looking sex toy from Stacie and the collection of flavoured lube from Amy back into their boxes. Then her attention shifted to a nondescript brown box that was delivered to the apartment.

She frowned a little, scooping up the brown paper-wrapped box and examining it closer. It was definitely for her – her name was typed neatly on box along with the address.

_Ugh. It'd better not be from that fuckface_ – Beca thought grimly, almost tempted to toss the box aside. He had been sending bunches of roses to the apartment much to her disgust. Beca hated getting flowers and Daniel would have known that if he had paid enough attention during their relationship. She did derived some pleasure tearing the flowers to pieces and stomping on them.

Beca rubbed the side of her face in frustration and then, without another thought, ripped the wrapping off and took the lid off the cardboard. There was lots of tissue and nestled amongst the expensive wrapping was a distinctive light blue jewellery box, tied up with white ribbon. That box was impossible to ignore. _Stupid Daniel. What the hell is he playing at?_

Beca flicked the box open. Her eyes fell on the glittering pendant and to a small note, tucked onto the inside of the lid.

* * *

It was not that kind of relationship.

Jesse stared at his phone, his thumb hovering over 'Send' button. He grimaced a little, thinking hard, before finally cancelling the message and going back to his Home page. He shouldn't bother her, really. It was Christmas holidays. She would be with her family so he shouldn't really bother her.

It had been..what, two? Three weeks?... since that weekend?

He had already interrupted a date. He didn't want to be all over her when this was supposed to be purely a physical relationship. They had bumped into each other at work, of course. She was talking with Stacie and had nodded slightly in his direction and Stacie had quirk a well groomed eyebrow at him, eyes drilling into him. Beca didn't even break her stride and walked off, still deep in conversation.

Did he want to stop and speak to her then? Yeah, sure.

Did he want to spend another hot weekend like that with her? Hell, yeah.

Jesse tossed the whisky back easily, grimacing a little at the burn down his throat. He sat back onto his sofa, his hand playing with the empty tumbler in his hand. The view from the sofa in his apartment was great. He was doing some work on his laptop and didn't bother turning on the lights when sun eventually set and now the windows of the building opposite his were all lit up.

His phone buzzed beside him and he quickly thumbed through the incoming message.

_Dude. WTH?_

Jesse could not help that smirk spreading on his face. Jesse quickly typed his reply. _Hey Beca. Merry Christmas. - _he answered had to wait for a full minute before getting a reply.

_Merry Christmas._

A laugh burbled out of him. He could almost feel how grudgingly Beca typed that across. She would be scowling at her phone and stabbing those words out on the keypad. His phone rang and he almost dropped it. He slid his finger across to accept the call and before Jesse could say anything, he could hear the unmistakable growl echoing the text.

"Dude, what the hell!?"

Jesse chuckled out loud. "Hey, Beca, how's it going?"

"Don't play coy with me," came the waspish reply. "Explain yourself."

Jesse scratched his chin, thinking how he could further annoy her."Explain what?" he answered, sounding deliberately blank.

Beca was sputtering by now. "This...this thing." Somehow, Jesse could imagine her gesturing irritably at that little Christmas gift he had delivered to her. He had saw it in the shop window and thought how perfect it was for her. It wasn't too onerous to find out Beca's home address and sent it before the Christmas break.

"I take it you've got your present," he said, not hiding the smile in his voice. "I'm surprised you only get it just now."

Beca just grunted back, clearly pissed off. "I was home for Christmas and just got in today," she answered grudgingly. "What the hell, dude? Why did you send me a present? You always send presents to your fu-... Hang on."

All Jesse could hear now some muffled noises, a cat meowing in protest and the sound of a door being closed. Jesse was grinning by now. She must have moved into her bedroom, not wanting Snowball to hear her cursing and yelling at him. And she did. Jesse just let Beca ripped into him, smiling in amusement in the darkness. She did have a mouth on her.

"...I don't know what you're playing at, sneaking this in like this. Fuck buddies don't give each other presents!" Beca was saying now.

"So I'm definitely your buddy now?"

Beca stopped short at the unexpected response. She could hear him chuckling at the end of the line and Beca scowled deeply at her phone, her annoyance levels increasing exponentially. The fucker obviously found the whole thing hilarious.

"Not funny, Jesse," Beca muttered crossly back. She rubbed her temples in frustration and tried sounding a little more reasonable. "Look, I'm new at this thing, ok? I thought we agreed no strings attached, purely for fun, sex only. I'm not sure this..this present is appropriate."

"Appropriate?" Jesse replied. "We've seen each other naked, Beca. I think 'appropriate' is no longer an issue here."

"Stop being so dense!" Beca said irritably. "You know what I mean!"

"Chill out, will you? I just saw it and thought you might like it. That is all. There's nothing to it," Jesse replied casually. "Besides it's Christmas."

Beca grunted yet again, still sounding pissed.

"And I knew it will annoy the hell out of you," Jesse drawled out lazily. "And frankly, hearing you so mad and cursing is kinda...hot."He laughed at the barrage of curse words that followed, one more colourful that the next.

"...Pervert!" Beca yelled into the phone before cutting the call and tossing her phone onto her bed. Stupid man. Stupid bat shit crazy weird ass nerd. Where did he get off annoying her like that? Her phone buzzed and a message pinged up.

__Baby, that was so hot. Call me pervert again.__

See? Crazy. The boy definitely got issues. And no, she was not smiling. This funny thing her mouth was doing? Totally not a smile. Maybe she caught dysentery or something. Not because she found his message funny. Beca's phone buzzed again.

__You forgot to call me donkey-loving bastard.__

Beca picked up her phone and stabbed his number viciously. "Since when did I call you that? You liar!"

"Sure you did," Jesse answered easily. "When I spilled coffee on you the second time. You called me that before telling me to get out of your way."

"What is wrong with you?" Beca said. "What kind of weird fetish is this? Do you get off at women yelling at you?"

"Nope. Just you."

There was a deadly silence at the end of the line. Jesse thought he might have pushed it a little too far and was about to apologise when he heard a scoff from the other line. "You are really weird, you know that, Jesse Swanson?" Beca Mitchell muttered back, a smile in her voice "So. fucking. weird."

She was laughing softly now and they both erupted into giggles.

"Where are you now?" Jesse asked.

"Back in NY. I have to go in to work tomorrow."

"That's a pretty short Christmas break. I thought you will be home doing Christmas things like caroling and baking cookies."

"Eh. No. Not unless you want me to poison someone."

He laughed at the reply. Yeah, he could not imagine her cheerful with the Christmas spirit. Jesse settled back into his sofa and switched the phone to his other hand. "So... do you like it?"

"What? The present?" Beca looked down at the pendant in her hand, her fingers playing with fine chain. "Eh. I don't hate it."

"Good enough for me," Jesse said, smiling. "How's your Christmas?"

Beca leaned back into the pillows on her bed and replied. "OK, so far."

"What you've been doing?" he asked.

And they spent the next half hour talking about Christmas past and present. More correctly, Beca was talking. "...Amy nearly burn down the apartment with her special Christmas cake, which we now know is like 90% booze. The firemen were pretty understanding but from that year onwards, we made sure she was only in charge of napkins..." Beca petered off when she realised she had been monopolising the conversation. "Wow. Sorry. I've been talking non-stop. You must be bored. I'll shut up now."

"Don't. I'm enjoying it," Jesse replied truthfully.

Why were her cheeks hot? Beca rubbed her face, feeling a little embarrassed. Her eyes fell on the present she had on her lap. "Dude, I'm feeling a little guilty. I didn't get you a present. You've got to let me get something for you."

Jesse chuckled at the end of the line, thinking how typical of Beca not liking someone has one over her. "I can think of many things you can do for me."

"I'm not cleaning your apartment. Who knows what porn I'll find," Beca quipped back.

"No, you don't have to do that," Jesse laughed. "Let me try something. Tell me what you're wearing."

"Christmas sweater," Beca replied, plucking at stray thread on the hem. It was old and comfy and soft.

"What colour?"

"Sick green. With Rudolph in front. It's either this one or one with Olaf."

"Oh. Ok. Um. Is it tight?"

"No. It's kinda loose and a bit ratty. Why? Why do you want to know?"

Jesse tsked at the other end of the line. "I'm trying to be sexy here!"

"Wha..." Beca said, a little confused and the penny finally dropped. "Wait, is this phone sex? Are you trying to have phone sex me with me?"

"What's wrong with that?" It was Jesse's turn to sound confused.

"It's just a little weird. Where are you now?" Beca asked.

"Home. In my apartment. Where else?" Jesse answered, a little exasperated.

"Oh. Aren't you with Cassie?"

There was a beat before he answered and Beca could feel the mood shifting.

"No, I spent Christmas day with Uncle George. Cassie flew out out Milan. I went straight home."

All the playfulness from just now had dissipated. He was in his apartment alone? During Christmas? Beca then remembered he spent Thanksgiving alone too. He never spoke about his family and Beca racked her brain trying to remember. Were there were any photos or notes or letters at his apartment. Any pics of his mum? Or dad? Or siblings? Nope. Not that she could recollect. She heard Jesse sighing softly and somehow, Beca knew he was about to hang up.

"Ask me what I'm wearing," she quickly said.

"Bec, you don't have to -"

"Ask me."

"Fine," Jesse said a little tersely. He was humouring her. "What are you wearing?"

"Well, I have this really ugly sweater on," Beca said, trying to sound sexy. She sighed loudly and puffed her breath out. "But it's SO hot in here. I think I need to take this sweater off and just lie down in my vest. My reeaaaallyyy tight, reaaaaally.. umm...black vest."

"You taking your sweater off?" Jesse asked

"Yeah, I'm sliding my arms out of the sleeves real slow," Beca answered, trying to sound breathy and sexy. "And pulling the sweater over...(_muffled sounds of cursing)_ my head._ (Ouch! damn earrings)._. Hang on... There. Ok, I took the sweater off. But wait! It's still SO hot in here. I think I need to take off my jeans. I'm taking if off now... gimme a minute... (_Jesus, this thing is tight. Ugh)_..."

All Jesse heard was Beca grunting. And then he heard a loud thud. "Beca? Beca! Are you OK?"

There was a scrambling sound before Beca's voice came on. "Yeah.. yeah, I'm fine. I just fell off my bed. But my jeans are off now and I'm wearing black panties! Ta dah!"

Jesse was laughing now. "You are really bad at this."

Beca was grinning. She just wanted to hear him laugh. It made her feel better to hear him laugh.

"I know. I know. I'm not that good with this phone sex thing," she replied in mock defeat. "Hey, can you do something for me?"

"Yeah, sure," Jesse replied, still laughing.

"Are you wearing one of your dress shirts?" Beca asked.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Take the buttons off your cuffs."

There was a breathy silence at Jesse's end.

"They were already undone," he answered.

"Hmm," Beca purred softly. "Can you undo the buttons on your shirt? Do it one by one. Slowly."

Jesse's fingers landed on the top button and slowly, he undid his buttons. "I'm doing it now," he said. "What are you thinking of?"

Beca shut her eyes, thinking how Jesse looked right now. He will be sitting on his sofa, collar and cuffs undone, his long fingers undoing the buttons of his crisp, white shirt; every opened button, revealing more and more of his warm, tanned skin. "I'm thinking how hot you look right now," Beca replied. "How I like to see your shirt open. And how much I want run my hands down your chest."

"I'll like that," Jesse replied, popping the last button on his shirt. He sat back and propped his phone closer. "What are you going to do next?"

"I'm going to sit on your lap and lick you down your throat. My hands will be on your chest and I'll kiss you all over."

"Mmm that's nice."

"You are watching me as I kiss you lower. Your hand will be in my hair." Beca said. "I'm in between your legs now, kneeling in front of you."

That image of her kneeling in front of him was so sexy. Jesse could feel himself stirring at the thought.

"My hands on your belt, baby," Beca whispered seductively. "Help me unbuckle your belt." She waited for the unmistakable sound of metal clasp being undone. "Bring down your zip for me. I want to put my hand in and feel you."

She heard him shifting, finding a more comfortable spot and then the unmistakable sound of a zip being drawn.

"Can you hold it in your hand? Imagine it's my hand holding you" Beca whispered. Jesse was grunting softly. "I know you won't be that hard yet, baby. I love it that way. I want to stroke it slowly with my hand, feeling it getting harder and harder every minute. Before I put it in my mouth."

"Is that what you're going to do next?" Jesse asked, his voice getting deeper.

"No, not yet. I wanna take things slow tonight," Beca answered. "I'm going to slide your trousers and boxers down first. Then I'm going to take my clothes off slowly in front of you."

"Are you really wearing a black vest?"

"Yes."

"And black panties?"

"Yes."

"Which ones?"

"Remember the lacy panties I wore when you fuck me at your office? You tore that one. I had to buy a new one. I'm wearing it right now."

"Fuck baby," Jesse rasped out, getting more turned on by the minute. He closed his eyes remembering that night in his office. "Are you lying down on your bed? Tell me what are you doing?"

"Hmm?" Beca's voice getting increasingly husky. "I'm just getting a little wet thinking how you tore my panties off that night. So I'm just..touching myself."

An image of Beca came lying down, her hair spread all over her pillow, one hand down her panties, flashed in front of Jesse's eyes and he moaned.

"Are you hard?" Beca asked.

"Yes," he replied, closing his hand firmly on his erection. "Just thinking of you, touching yourself."

"Mmm, you sound so sexy, " Beca moaned into the phone. "I'm pretending it's your fingers touching me here."

"Tell me where your fingers are."

Beca was sighing restlessly. "My fingers are rubbing my clit slowly. Ugh...it feels so good...I'm thinking it's your fingers rubbing me like this and your mouth is on my neck. God, I'm so wet.."

"How wet are you? Can you slip your fingers inside?"

"Yes...I'm..I'm using two fingers..."

Jesse groaned back, thinking how wet and slick she was. How hot the apex of her thighs was, how tight. He ran his palm slowly up and down his dick.

"I'm so hard for you, baby. I wish I'm there right now," he mumbled down the phone.

"Me too." Beca answered. "What will you do to me if you are here?"

"I'll kiss you up your leg. Give you hickeys in your inner thigh," he whispered back, thinking of her pale legs and the creaminess of her skin. "So when you walk the next day, you feel a little sore and remember where my mouth was."

Her moan just made him harder.

"I know how you like it," he continued. "You like me to suck on your clit and you like my tongue inside you and I won't stop until you come all over my mouth."

"Jesse.." Beca moaned. "You are turning me on so much. I need.."

"Tell me what you need, baby."

"I need more," Beca whispered. "I need you. I need your hot, hard dick in me."

"Baby.." Jesse groaned, his hand speeding up.

"I didn't tell you what Stacie and Amy got me for Christmas," Beca was now saying. "I think I might need to use them now."

"What is it?" Jesse said, slowing down a little.

She told him.

Fuck. Did she really said that? Did she really mean it? Who gives sex toys for Christmas?! Not that Jesse wanted to think any further about that. Because all he could picture now was Beca Mitchell turned on, writhing and wanting and using those toys and fuck, how hot did that look.

"Are you really going to do that?" Jesse asked hoarsely.

"Mmm hmm." Beca hummed back, her voice thick with arousal. "Do you really wanna know what I'm thinking of now?"

A ragged "Yes" come through the line.

"I'm thinking -" Beca sighed down the line. "- that I should be tied up and blindfolded with your tie. And you using this toy on me."

"Fuck," Jesse swore. "You are making me so hard, baby. I wish I can see you now."

There was a slight hesitation before Beca answered. "Facetime ok?"

"Yes. Ok."

"Gimme five minutes. I'll call you."

Jesse heaved a sigh when she cut the call. He was right. Beca Mitchell will be the death of him one day. He'll probably expire from too much sex with a huge grin on his face and she would be 100% guilty. Jesse got up, located his iPad and went to his bedroom. Impatiently, he discarded his shirt, kicked off his shoes and took his trousers off. He stood in the half darkness in only his boxer shorts, took off his watch, leaving it on the night stand before sliding into his bed.

His timing was perfect.

His iPad buzzed with the incoming call and Jesse sat up, clicking on the Answer button. Beca Mitchell's perfect face loomed on his screen.

"Hey, you wanted to see me?" she murmured with a sexy half smile.

"Yeah," Jesse answered, smiling back.

"So..." Beca drawled out, her expression changing into something a little uncertain now."Before anything else, I just wanted to show you how your present look on me."

She shifted a little further from the screen so he could see. Jesse gazed at his screen. She must have dimmed the lights in her bedroom but he could make out the fine chain necklace she was wearing on her neck. The pendant sat squarely on her upper chest, glittering on her pale skin. It looked perfect on her; just like he thought.

Her fingers touched the pendant and Beca looked a little shy. "I love it. Thank you very much."

"It's nothing." Jesse replied, smiling. Somehow his chest felt a little full seeing her all shy and a little self conscious like this. It was another side of her he had never seen before.

"Ok, I didn't get you a present," Beca was saying now. "So I thought I could give you a show. As a present."

"Sure. Whatever you want."

Beca shifted her MacBook and she scooted back onto her bed. She checked the image on the smaller screen to make sure the camera was at the right angle. It looked like it because Jesse's face on her screen looked a little shell-shocked and his mouth was hanging open.

Beca smirked. "Like what you see?"

"Baby, you look great," Jesse mumbled back taking in the sight of Beca Mitchell, sitting on her bed, with her legs tucked underneath her. Now he could see how that tight black vest moulded on her body and her black lacy panties. She was not wearing a bra, judging by the outlines of her hard nipples on that cotton vest. Her hair hung loose and curly and with light make-up on and her mouth slicked with barely there pink lipgloss. she looked like barely legal, naughty college girl sitting on her dorm bed.

"You're in charge," Beca murmured. "What do you want me to do?"

He could feel his hardness returning.

"Slide off the straps off your vest. The right one first," Jesse said.

Beca slid her right strap down slowly.

"Now the left."

Her right hand went across her chest and she pushed the left strap off, her shoulders now bare.

Jesse's gaze did not waver.

"Now lean forward, baby. Let me look at your breasts."

Beca leaned forward, her arms pressing her cleavage together.

"That is so nice," Jesse said softly, his eyes dilating at the sight before him. "Put your hands in and play with your breasts."

"Like this?" Beca slipped her hands into the top of her vest and cradled her breasts in her hands.

"Yeah, just like that. Tell me how they feel."

Beca closed her eyes as she squeezed her breasts. This was all a little new actually. She never had video sex before, not even with Daniel. It was not something that she ever thought of doing. But sitting here in the half darkness, squeezing her breasts in her hands, knowing that Jesse was watching, Beca found herself getting incredibly turned on.

"Soft." Beca whispered out. "My breasts feel so soft."

She continued squeezing her breasts, imagining them pressed against Jesse's hard chest. Her fingers brushed against her erect nipples accidentally and an involuntary moan escaped from her lips. That felt good. Beca brought the tips of her fingers to her nipples again, this time pinching and rolling the buds. That felt really good.

"Jesse?" she breathed out, eyes still clamped shut. "I.. I wish it was your hands on my breasts."

Her eyes snapped opened when she heard that groan coming from her screen. Jesse was sitting back on his bed, staring at her with hooded eyes .

"You look so sexy right now," Jesse whispered back. He could not think of anything more erotic than this beautiful woman with her eyes closed and mouth panting open, hands playing with her breasts. And he knew how soft they were. How good they felt when his hard dick was pressed in between.

"Where's your other Christmas presents?" Jesse asked. Beca dropped her hands from her breasts and gave him a sexy smirk, leaning to one side to reach for something. She showed him what Stacie had given her. Jesse's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up. "Wow. That's...ummm..that's pretty..big."

"You think?" Beca said, her hand wrapping round the toy in a fist. "I thought so at first. But I think it's about the same as yours. See how it fits in my mouth?" And the tip of her tongue licked the head and her mouth closed over the top. She was gently sucking the tip now before slowly sliding it out of her mouth, paying no heed to Jesse who was visibly choking on her screen. She then slid the toy down, pressing it between her breasts and innocently looked up at him. "See?"

Jesse stared at his screen, at Beca Mitchell with her hair tousled, straps hanging messily down her shoulders. Her vest was pulled down to show her breasts, her sweet pink nipples on show. And that freaking toy squeezed in between.

"Switch on that toy on. Put it on low," Jesse rasped, feeling the heat rising up his body. Beca's hand twisted the base and soon a low hum came over his speakers."Put the tip against your right nipple now. Lightly. I want to see it."

She had never done that before but Beca did as she was told, lightly touching the vibrating tip to her nipple. That felt.. That felt nice. She grunted softly, alternating to her other nipple. The vibrations seemed to tug at her loins. She was already wet from before, aching slightly from not finishing just now.

"How does that feel?"

Beca stiffened a little at the sound of Jesse's voice. Why must he sound so freaking sexy?

"Good," Beca moaned out. "It feels good. I'm gonna need to..." She didn't finished the sentence, opting to untuck her legs from underneath her and leant back into her pillows. Jesse watched as she kept the vibrating toy against her nipples and now her hand was reaching down in between her legs. Her panties were damp.

"Take off your panties," he ordered, his hand closing on his hard dick, stroking it slowly.

Beca slid her panties off, kicking it to one side before settling back on her bed and continued what she was doing just now. Except now Jesse could see her fingers rubbing her clit slowly now and he groaned at the sight.

"You are so wet," he shuddered, his strokes getting a little faster. "Put your fingers in, baby. Like just now." And she slipped two fingers in and out, as deep as her knuckles, her thumb catching on her clit.

"This is so..good," Beca moaned, her fingers moving faster, her thumb pressing harder. She was breathing heavily. "I'm... I'm so close."

"Don't come yet, baby."

Beca immediately stopped rubbing herself, letting her hand fell into one side. She raised herself up on her elbows, gazing at her screen. "What do you want me to do?"

Jesse let out a deep breath. "Sit back so I can see you."

Beca complied.

"So beautiful," Jesse murmured thickly. "You look so beautiful. I want to do so many things to you right now."

"Tell me what you'll do to me." Beca asked.

"First, I'll turn that vibrator on low and use it on you."

Beca reached for the vibrator, turned It in low, just as he said and pressed it against herself.

The light vibration was delicious and Beca moaned, her eyes fell shut again.

"Move it slowly up and down." Beca heard Jesse saying and she moved the tip against her folds, trying to stifling another moan. She couldn't suppress it when the vibrating tip hit her clit.

"Don't stop, baby," Jesse said, his voice getting huskier. "You sound so sexy right now,"

"What are you going to do next?" Beca managed to murmur out, her hand still moving the toy.

"How wet are you?" he asked. "Can you..."

Jesse did not have to complete his question. Because she was pressing the tip into her. And it slid in easily. She drew it out slowly and pressed it in deeper and Jesse groaned at the sight, remembering how good it feel to bury himself in her. How tight and warm and slick.

"Beca, God, don't stop, baby." Jesse said. She was pumping the toy in and out, getting faster and deeper, her legs falling open, her other hand now rubbing her clit. She seemed not to care he was there watching, which was making him so hard. And oh god, the moans coming out of her. She was close. He could tell by the sounds from her, by the way her eyes were shut tight, by the urgent abandon she was using that toy. And fuck, it looked so hot.

He was stroking himself faster, feeling that familiar build. "Keeping doing that, baby. You look so good. I wish it's me inside you right now."

Those words must have tipped Beca over the edge because she let out a cry, her hips jerking. She fell back onto her bed, hand still furiously rubbing herself, milking her orgasm as long as she can. Jesse's vision was filled with the sight of Beca coming so hard on his screen, her sexy cries and moans coming over the speakers and he grunted out loud before coming in his hand.

Beca was panting, her head tingling from her orgasm. She raised herself up slowly, her hair falling over her face as she stared at her screen. Jesse was lying back on his pillows, eyes closed, panting equally hard. He opened his eyes and gazed right back at her, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"I take it bad. You are not bad at this at all," Jesse finally said, his voice still husky. "That was quite a show, Miss Mitchell."

"Thanks. Did you enjoy it?" she answered.

"You made me come in my boxers. I think that qualified as a yes," Jesse said sleepily. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

"Umm..I've never done that before actually," Beca answered. "That was my first."

"Really?" Jesse replied. "You're really good at it. Very porn-worthy."

"Ok. Thanks?" Beca said, laughing lightly now, her delicate shoulders shrugging. "If the writing gig doesn't work out, I can always fall back on this video sex thing."

Jesse chuckled in reply. "Yeah,do that and I'll totally buy all your time. I don't think I want anyone else seeing what I saw just now." His ears caught up with what he said. What was that about? Why did he say that? Jesse cleared his throat slightly. "Umm..so. I have to clean up and..get changed."

"Yeah. Ok. You do that," Beca quickly said. "I should do the same. And...oh, I think I need to change my sheets."

"Your sheets? You were that wet?" Jesse said, sounding intrigued.

"Shut up. You know how...errmm...never mind." She looked a little flustered now and Jesse had to say he quite enjoy seeing that look on her. "Ok..gotta go. Bye."

"Bye Beca. And hey -"

Beca was about to disconnect the call when she heard him. She paused, looking at his smiling face on the screen."What do you want, nerd?"

"Call me anytime, ok?" Jesse was saying now. "Don't wait for me to send you stuff to piss you off before you call me."

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever," Beca scowled. She really didn't mean that scowl because a tiny, tiny smile was curving on her lips. "I'll see you around, weirdo."

"See you soon, Beca."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

This must be the stupidest, shittiest idea she ever had.

Beca rubbed her face with both hands and stared hard at her screen. Whatever possessed her to work on New Year's eve? Yeah, it was true that Chloe was not back yet from her trip and she didn't really made any plans for the night. Beca thought she might as well get some work done on Decibel's anniversary issue. All her materials were in the office and it will be quiet tonight. It all seemed like a good idea when Stacie called her earlier in the day.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Yep, pretty sure," Beca answered. She was half listening to Stacie on the phone as she scanned the computer screen in front of her, correcting a sentence in her article.

"Come on, Beca. It's New Year's eve," Beca could almost hear the pout in Stacie's voice. "We should be out partying and grabbing hot men to kiss. We could gatecrash the H&amp;H Black and White ball tonight. I mean you are already there.."

"Yeah. No. Don't fancy being thrown out on my ass, Stacie," Beca drily replied.

She was being truthful. The H&amp;H Black and White ball was strictly invitation only; mostly a select group of would-be investors hosted by the senior directors. Security was tight. Beca definitely did not want to spend New Year's eve being manhandled by burly bouncers and turfed out into the cold streets of New York, thank you very much. She had done the Black and White ball when she worked with Aubrey at RUNWAY. As second PA, she would be hovering behind Cassie, making sure she was fully briefed on whomever she happened to meet. It was exhausting.

Well, it would be Andrea's turn now to do that as second PA and of course this year, Cassie would have a date. In the shape of Jesse Swanson.

Yeah. No.

So here she was, in her office, with music blaring out of the speakers, trying to build this issue due for print in late February. She had been working solid on this for three hours already and feeling a little stiff and tired. Beca got up and rummaged round the pantry. "Hey, looky here. There you are, Jim!" Beca said a little happily. Her hand closed over the opened bottle of Jim Beam. Well, a wee drink would help take the edge away and it was New Year's eve.

An hour later, Beca was standing over the island top in the middle of the editor's meeting room, poring through all the sheets in front of her. She reached for her mug, finding it empty. Hmm. A small top up perhaps? She reached for the bottle of bourbon, nearly knocking it over all the papers. Beca squeaked in terror as she grabbed and lifted the rocking bottle quickly. Oh. It was lighter than she remembered. Did she drink that much? Beca squinted at the bottle suspiciously before setting the bottle down gingerly.

This working on New Year's eve was definitely a shitty idea.

She turned on her phone and a flurry of texts and messages came through. One from Chloe, asking where she was and to call her back. Her mum rang. So did Amy. And a few from Stacie telling Beca to give her a ring if she changed her mind. And one message from Jesse.

"_Hey, it's me. Umm... just wondering what you are up to."_ He was saying in the recorded voicemail. A slight upwards twitch came to Beca's mouth listening to the message. He was speaking a little softly, a husky twist to his voice and damn, did it sound sexy.

"_So...since it's the new year and all, we should really have a new year resolution and get started on that moviecation thing we've talked about. No backing out now. Not unless you want to be naughty and I'll have to __spank__ you." _

There was a slight embarrassed pause and Beca could imagine a flush coming to his cheeks.

"_Err..umm.. ok. Call me."_

Nerd. Weird nerd with a movie fetish. Beca listened to the message again, smiling to herself. And without another thought, she dialled his number. It rang once without being picked up and she tried again. She was about to hang up and the call clicked through and his voice came through.

"Hi."

"Hey, it's me," Beca said.

There was a slight pause before he answered back. "Hey."

"Umm...I've just got your message."

"Ok," Jesse answered. "That was a few hours ago."

"Sorry. I was working and got my phone switched off," Beca continued, missing the clipped tone in Jesse's voice. "Are you serious about this whole movie... moviecation thing?"

"Yes, I am. But we can discuss this later."

"Ok, fine," Beca ploughed on. "Just one thing - I know I said I like watching porno but let's not start with that, ok? I was lying to you. I don't really mind movies. I secretly like Star Wars. And yeah, I cried at the ending of E.T. Those flowers, dude. They came back alive!"

"Hang on," Jesse said quickly. Beca shut her eyes, the phone still propped to her ear. There was a muffled sort of silence on the other line before she heard his voice again. "Beca?"

"Yeah, I'm still here," Beca answered. She was feeling a little light headed. Why was her head a little spinny?

"I can talk now. What did you say about E.T? And Star Wars?" He had an incredulous tone in his voice and the way he was questioning her, it was like the most important thing in the world

"I love it, man," Beca said, laughing. "Han Solo was THE dude and frankly, I wouldn't mind dressing up as Princess Leia. Slave Princess Leia. Her choking Jabba with that chain. So hot. So freaking hot."

"Beca, are you drunk?" Jesse questioned. Beca could almost imagine that mock scowl on his face.

"What? No. I can hold my liquor," Beca hiccuped into the phone.

"You are drunk."

He was laughing softly now and Beca smiled fondly hearing that. And through the drunk haze she was in, Beca suddenly realised what she had done. It was past 11 p.m. He would be upstairs, in H&amp;H Black and White ball and she just rang him in the middle of it all.

Shit.

"Hey, just occurred to me I'm interrupting something," Beca said. "Sorry, dude. I'll let you get back to the party."

"Don't hang up," Jesse said quickly.

"Hmm?" Beca slurred.

"I said don't hang up," Jesse answered. "How did you know where I am?"

"It's New Year's eve," Beca answered back. "You must be at a party now. At the Black and White ball , to be precise. With Cassie. Sorry, I should have known. I just want to return your call and wish you happy New Year...so...Happy New Year! Yay!

"God, you are drunk," Jesse said, something akin to fond exasperation in his voice. "Don't hang up, please. Keep talking. What are you doing right now?"

She was giggling down the line. Very un-Beca like giggles and Jesse thought it was charming.

"Man, I shouldn't have volunteered for this stupid 50th anniversary article. It's so hard to write," Beca complained. "But the good thing is you are right. I am slightly drunk. And I write better when I'm drunk."

_She's very cute when she's drunk _\- Jesse thought. "You're working on New Year's Eve?" he asked. "Why aren't you out partying?"

"Amy's using that Aspen trip with Bumper. I don't feel like gate crashing another party with Stacie. And Chloe had some mysterious last minute trip I don't even know about," Beca pouted. "So it's just me, my Mac, that cactus you sent me on my desk and a bottle of Jim Beam."

Yeah, he remembered that cactus. He sent it to her on that Monday morning after that alley incident. He sent her so many flowers it was unreal. And puppies. He should have known things like that wouldn't move her, cold creature that she was. And it was cheesy. So cheesy to send things to a girl's work...

"Wait. Where are you?" Jesse said. "Are you at work?"

"What? Oh. Yeah. I'm at work."

"You're in your office right now?"

"Yep. No one but me."

"I'm coming down to see you."

Beca balked at the split second decision he made. "What? Dude, no."

"I'll see you soon."

"Wait -"

He had already put down the phone and Beca blinked uncomprehending at her phone in her hand. Fuck. She shouldn't have done that. She must be drunker than she though to do such a stupid thing like that. Beca ran her hand through her hair and rubbed her face again.

_Ok. Don't panic now. It's fine. He's only going to come down to say hi and then you say hi back and happy new year and that's it. He'll go back to the party to Cassie and you go back to your work. It is totally fine._

Beca got up from her chair and within a few strides, she was at Decibel's front door. It was not a very big reception. She could not help pacing a little, waiting for that knock on the door and when Beca realised what she was doing, she stopped in mid track, trying not to scream out in frustration. What the hell was this? Why was she so nervous and why was her heart beating so fast? She heard the rap on the front door and after gulping a calming breath or two, she opened the door and Jesse Swanson was standing outside.

He was dressed in white tie, looking absolutely gorgeous and Beca suddenly wished she was not standing there in just her old jeans and sweater, probably looking like death warmed up underneath this horrible fluorescent light. She must looked so awful, face scrubbed free of makeup, pale skin, hair pulled back into a messy bun. Not like all the beautiful ladies at the ball upstairs in their glamorous gowns and sleek hair and...

"Hi." Jesse said and he stepped forward.

His lips were on hers and his hands warm, cradling her face. Her mouth opened underneath his, her body pliant and unresisting as his right arm circled round her waist. She had to grip to the lapels of his jacket because he was walking her backwards into the office and when he crossed the threshold, Jesse kicked the door shut.

He lifted her up easily, walking into the office, still not breaking the kiss. Her arms were round his neck, her hands in his hair as she kissed him back equally hard. He dropped her gently on her messy desk, finally coming out of the kiss to catch a deep breath before latching his mouth on her neck. Beca moaned involuntarily at the feel of his lips on her sensitive skin. He smelled so good. He smelled of expensive aftershave and tasted of mint and alcohol.

"Don't ever call me on my phone," Jesse mumbled in between his kisses, his mouth roving hungrily over her neck. "You are not allowed to call me on my phone. Ever again."

"Why not?" Beca managed to breathe out. "Are you afraid Cassie might find out?"

"No," Jesse said. "It just reminds me how bad you are at phone sex." His hands moved restlessly up her back, underneath her sweater. "And when you start dirty talking about movies/ All I want to do is this."

He had worked his way to her breasts and squeezed them hard. Beca gasped, surprised at how hard he was squeezing. He was so aggressive but the sheer raw lust he was kissing her with was turning her on. An unmistakeable heat was already pooling low in her belly and she squeaked when Jesse bit her neck. His hands were tugging urgently at the hem of her sweater.

"Take this off!" Jesse growled impatiently and Beca hastily pulled the sweater free. She had a tshirt underneath and he grunted unhappily until that shirt joined the sweater on the floor. Beca now wished she had her sexy black bra on, not this old flowery blue one. But Jesse did not seem to care. And when his teeth were nipping all over her soft flesh, his fingers yanking the cups down so that his mouth and fingers gained better access to her hard nipples, Beca ceased to care as well.

He grabbed the snap in front and for a few seconds, Jesse stopped what he was doing. The bra came undone and he watched her breasts springing free, all softness and bounce. A low sound came from the back of his throat as he buried his face in between, groaning into her flesh.

"Dude," Beca panted back, weakly trying to push him away. "Careful. Your suit."

"Don't care," Jesse mumbled back, one hand blindly scattering whatever was on Beca's desk off onto the floor and now pushing her backwards.

"Wait. Wait!" Beca was saying but he was not paying attention. "Ouch! Owwww."

It took him several moment to stop. Because by now,, Beca was yelling "Get off me, dude!" and beating him on his back with her tiny fist. Jesse scrambled up quickly, staring down at an irate looking Beca who was sitting up on her desk. Fuck. He came in too strong.

"Jesus, you're fucking heavy," Beca swore.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry," Jesse said worriedly. "Did I hurt you?"

"Not you. Your cactus!" Beca said, reaching behind to touch her back gingerly "You backed me up on your cactus on my desk."

"What? Oh my god, Beca! I am so sorry!" He could not apologise enough. Jesse quickly moved to check her back. The cactus was not that big. He didn't quite squashed her against it and she must have turned a little when he was pushing her down. Her back must have glanced against the sharp needles but there were angry pricks on her pale skin and it must have hurt. _Great move, Jesse. What an idiot you are. _"I'm so sorry," he apologised once more, his fingers gently stroking her skin.

"Ouch. Fuck." Beca cursed.

"Still hurt? " Jesse said, looking up at Beca. "There must be some thorns still in you. Let me check. Oh god, you're bleeding."

* * *

Aubrey discreetly looked at her gold watch before looking up to survey the room before her. Everything went smoothly. From the moment the first guest arrived to the ball until this last half hour before midnight. So far they managed to help one guest with her dress emergency, averted a fight between two who had far too much to drink and prevented a few gatecrashers to this exclusive ball.

She smirked at the last thought. Gatecrashers. Just because they were dressed up they think they could just walk into this party? Aubrey knew a cheap dress and a cheap suit at fifty paces - no way she will let a few gatecrashers and stupid drunk people ruined her months of hard work. It took a lot of preparation to make this ball looked effortless. Endless planning, a lot of late nights and stress vomiting.

And look how pretty everything looked. How happy everyone was, with a smile on their face and a drink in their hand. Soon it will be the countdown to midnight, there will be cheers and kisses and lots and lots of publicity photos that will grace all the important publications. Yet another successful H&amp;H party.

Aubrey sighed happily. Her gaze landed on Cassie who was standing at the far end of the room, looking resplendent in nude Chanel, animatedly talking to an oil tycoon. Andrea (or Andy as she liked to be called) was standing to one side, near Cassie just like she should. Aubrey's sharp eyes swept around Cassie's immediate vicinity and a red alarm flashed up in her head. She immediately speed dialled Andy and from where she was, she watched as Andy hurriedly answered her call.

"Andy!" Aubrey hissed down the line. "Where the hell is Jesse Swanson?"

* * *

"That should take care of it."

Jesse gently pressed the dressing, making sure the tape was secure before packing the first aid box back and chucking the wrapping into the nearest bin. Beca was sitting on her desk, still topless whilst Jesse was tending to the graze. It didn't bleed that much but he had insisted on putting on antiseptic and dressing and miles of tape. She just let him because Beca was sure he would whine if she brushed him off. She tried putting her bra on. The strap was grazing on some of the graze and she winced.

"Here. Let me help you," Jesse said and with careful hands, he helped put her bra on and pulled the shirt over. "I'm really sorry. I am so so sorry, Beca."

"Stop apologising," Beca scowled. "You're annoying me now."

"I didn't mean to be so rough," Jesse said, looking a little miserable now. "Seriously Bec. I should have remembered you had a cactus on your desk."

"Yeah, poor cactus." Beca peered at the plant. "I could have squashed it to death and you'll have to buy me a new one."

"As many as you want. You can like a houseful of cacti if you like."

Beca shook her head, trying not to let that smile escaped. He was gazing at her hopefully and she knew if she said it, he will go out and buy her a houseful of those prickly plants.

"Nah. No need. I'm quite partial to this one."

He seemed to visibly relaxed at the glib answer. She was not mad at him and they were back to that playful banter between them. He moved closer, leaning into her. "Why are you working tonight?" Jesse said. "And getting drunk all alone?"

"I'm not drunk," Beca protested. "Well, maybe. Just a little."

"I could taste the bourbon in your mouth just now."

"Yeah, ok, Mr. Swanson," Beca answered back. "I'm pathetic, ok? Alone and drunk on New Year's Eve."

"Hey, shh..." he said softly, placing one finger on her mouth. "I didn't say any of that." He seemed to know she was about to open her mouth and argue back because Jesse kissed her fully on her lips. He was far too lost in the kiss until Beca pulled back, pushing against his chest and he wondered whether he came in too strong again.

"Dude, you're vibrating."

"Hmm? What?"

It took him a few seconds to understand what Beca was saying. His phone had been vibrating for a few times for the last half hour and he had studiously ignored it. But Beca was looking up at him with an arch to her eyebrow and Jesse reluctantly stepped back and extracted the phone from the inner pocket in his jacket. He cursorily glanced at the messages that came through.

"You have to be somewhere now, don't you?" Beca spoke up knowingly.

"It can wait," Jesse said, putting the phone back into his pocket. It vibrated urgently again and Beca did not miss it.

"I don't think it can," she said quietly, cocking her head to one side and gazing up at him. He could not pulled a fast one on her this time round.

"Yeah ok," Jesse confessed. "I've gotta go."

Beca nodded and hopped off her desk. She stood in front of him, quickly smoothing down his jacket. Jesse watched as she concentrated on straightening his white tie before pulling the hem of his jacket straight.

"All done," Beca said, trying to sound cheerful. Her hands gently tugged the lapels of his jacket into place. "Happy New Year, Mr. Swanson."

"Can you wait for me?" he said, his hands catching hers as she released her hold. "I have to do something real quick but I'll come back."

"There's no need -" Beca protested.

"No. I'm coming back," he insisted.

Beca glanced up, noting the stubborn look on his face.

"Yeah, ok. I'll wait."

* * *

Where the hell is he?

Aubrey irritably cut the call. Jesse was not answering and at this very moment, Aubrey could feel the familiar clench in her tummy. She breathed in deeply, trying not to glance at her watch. There was no need. She knew it was five minutes to the countdown. She made her way through the crowd, smiling serenely, although at the moment, she wanted nothing more than to scream at everyone to clear out of her way.

"Cassie?" Aubrey whispered urgently once she was beside her. The brunette was still talking to one of the guests, her mouth smiling. On hearing Aubrey's voice, Cassie pressed a hand on the guest's arm and said. "Senator Ford, just a minute. I'll come back to you. " She turned slightly in Aubrey's direction and in sotto voce, whispered back. "We seem to have lost Jesse."

"Yes," Aubrey murmured back. "I'm trying to get to him but he's not answering the phone."

Cassie's smile did not crack.

"This can be a little embarrassing, Aubrey," Cassie murmured back. "Have you checked his office? And the janitor's closet on the third floor?"

Aubrey frowned. She did checked his office, which was dark and empty. She did not think about checking the janitor's closet because surely Jesse wouldn't dare to do something that stupid at work.

Would he?

"He's not in his office," Aubrey said tersely, her hand automatically flying to her rumbling tummy. "I'll go and check the -"

"No time." Cassie remarked. The MC was already announcing the countdown and everyone in the room except Aubrey and Cassie was squealing happily, moving closer together, crowding the dance floor. Both of them were arguing quietly; their sharp words covered by the increasing noise in the room as everyone chanted the countdown from ten, nine, eight..

"...you should really speak to Jesse!" Aubrey hissed. "This is very irresponsible of him. If we had gone with my other choice - "

"I trust him implicitly. End of discussion," Cassie answered back fiercely, her smile still intact. "He must have -"

"Hey."

Cassie felt the hand stealing round her waist and she whirled quickly to find Jesse holding her close. He was grinning that boyish grin of his and Cassie could not help but grin back. Jesse's gaze momentarily landed on Aubrey and he nodded in her direction. "Got your messages, Aubrey. I

was in the bathroom," Jesse said breezily. Aubrey just snorted, her upper lip curling in annoyance.

The room counted down to one. There was a loud explosion of confetti and music and Jesse's grin widened further before he leaned in to kiss Cassie on her lips. "Happy New Year, baby." he murmured as the flashbulbs went mad at the perfect picture of the perfect couple.

* * *

12.50 am

Ok. That thing he had to do real quick?

It did not seem quick at all.

Beca did not want to look at the time anymore. It had been nearly an hour. She had waited for nearly an hour. No sign of Jesse Swanson, no calls, no text. _This is stupid._ Beca thought. She took another gulp of bourbon. _ I am not waiting for him. I am just here doing my work and if he turns up, fine. _And with that thought, Beca Mitchell turned attention back to her screen and went back to work.

When the time crept to 1.30 a.m, Beca could not take it any longer. The bottle was long emptied. She may or may not be fully drunk. And she was feeling rather pissed. Why was she so stupid? What was she still doing here? She had not written anything intelligible for the last 30 minutes so whom was she kidding? She was waiting for him and that made her angry.

Angry that she believed him.

Angry that she was hanging around like some pathetic puppy in the early hours of New Year, just because he said to wait. He was probably partying hard upstairs right about now, dancing, arms around Cassie or any other girl up there who took his fancy. He probably had a few more drinks now and totally forgot she was here. She was just a fuck buddy.

Beca Mitchell shut down everything, slung her heavy coat and bag on and left the office. The cold wind blasted straight into her as she walked out onto the streets. There were still a few people about, walking and laughing, far too happy and merry and Beca thrust her cold hands into her pockets, walking towards the direction of her apartment.

She was halfway there when Beca suddenly did not feel like going home any more and she turned towards a little bar she knew will still be open at this time.

* * *

__What time is it?__

__Does it matter what time is it? I don't need to know what time it is. I'm not rushing anywhere or waiting for someone or chasing a deadline. I mean, it's a time somewhere right? Hmm? So it doesn't matter.__

Beca chuckled to herself. She was a genius. Not everyone can answer philosophical questions this late...no, this early in the morning. So yeah, she's brilliant. What she was not so brilliant at, is walking. Damn! When did walking become hard?

Beca pondered over the question, staring hard at the pavement in front of her. She gingerly took another step. The floor did not move so she took another step. Who would have knew walking was so hard. It must be the snow. Snow made walking difficult. And the ice. Yeah, ice. That was why she slipped outside the bar just now and landed flat on her face. Good thing Bill from the bar was there to help her up or she would be lying happily on the sidewalk until morning. Bill was also worried and wanted to send her home but she had waved him merrily away.

She didn't need anyone. She was fine.

She was cold though.

Good thing she was nearly home. Yay, home. She will be home soon and Snowball will be there waiting with warm cuddles and nose licks. Beca loved her cat. That fat cat was a tyrant but he was the the only male she could depend on. Not her dad who bailed after the acrimonious divorce nor that guy who took her virginity away or Daniel Meade who ran scared when she got pregnant or that dick, Jesse Swanson.

Rubbish, lying, promise breakers all of them.

Hey, here's her building. Beca rummaged in her bag for her keys. Where were they? She didn't like hanging round outside in the gloom for too long. This place was scary at this hour. It was too dark and too quiet, even on New Year's Eve. Only last week there was a fight and someone was attacked. They had to put four locks on the door upstairs and if the rent wasn't so cheap, Beca and Chloe would be the first to move out. Damn it! Try as she might, Beca could not find her keys. Why was the inside of her bag was so dark?

"Beca."

She felt that hand on her shoulder before she heard her name and Beca whirled round, screaming at the top of her voice. A man was crowding her. A tall, dark man. She had pepper spray. Where was her pepper spray? In blind panic, Beca swung her bag with all her might against her assailant's head. He easily blocked her bag with his arm and was now grabbing her by her shoulders, holding her still.

"Beca, it's me," the man said urgently, like it meant anything. "Beca?"

The adrenaline was still spiking in her body and it took Beca several moments to register who was in front of her. Jesse Swanson. He was holding on to her upper arms and staring down at her.

"Where have you been?" Jesse said. "I asked you to wait for me."

Beca tried saying something but she was still in a state of shock, her hear still hammering crazily and she opened and closed her mouth wordlessly. Hang on. Was he scolding her? Was he actually standing here, yelling at her? Beca gazed up at Jesse's face. His eyes were hard like flint, his mouth set into a hard line. Jesse seemed to notice something else and immediately his hands tightened painfully on her arms.

"What the hell happened to your face?" Jesse said, his voice getting more heated.

"Fuck off! You are hurting me," Beca yelled back, shrugging his hands off and pushing him away. "Don't fucking touch me, ok? Or I yell this building down."

Jesse reluctantly stepped back, still smouldering with anger. Beca turned away, her back towards him and frantically dug into her bag for her keys. "I came down, looking for you," he said. "The office was locked. I tried calling you many times. You were not home. Have you any idea how worried I was?"

She was ignoring him, shaking her bag violently with one hand while the other was digging round inside. Where the fuck are her keys?

"Have you been walking round in that thin sweater?" Jesse continued, still with the same hard tone. "Did you lose your coat?"

That stopped her for a moment. No wonder she felt so cold. She must have shrugged her coat off, too warm with alcohol and left it behind somewhere.

"Answer me, Beca," Jesse continued, clearly angry now. "Where's your coat?"

"It's none of your fucking business!" Beca bellowed back. He had some nerve coming here, yelling at her like this. "Whether I walk around without a coat, or stark naked or wearing a grass skirt and a bra. Whether I left the office or wait for you for TWO fucking hours, it's just none of your business, ok?"

Her voice was echoing down the quiet street and then there was the sound of a window being opened and one of her neighbours yelled down, "Can you shut the fuck up?! People are trying to sleep here!"

Both of them glanced up. Beca snorted in disgust and in one quick movement, she upended the contents of her bag onto the pavement. Everything went clattering down and in the next moment, Beca was on her hands and knees, fingers amongst the loose contents of her bag and she finally found her keys. She stood up unsteadily, almost losing her balance. Jesse's hand shot out to steady her and Beca irritably pulled herself away. She unlocked the front door' stepped into the building and climbed the steps to her apartment on the third floor. She vaguely heard Jesse calling her name and him cursing.

Beca was right outside her door, already unlocking the fourth lock when he came bounding up. She turned and glared at him but Jesse was not fazed by that look.

"You left your bag and its entire contents outside. On the pavement," Jesse said in a clipped tone, lifting Beca's bag he was holding in his hand. She stared stonily at her bag, not making a move to take it. Her hand unlatched the last lock. Beca pushed the door opened and Snowball came streaking out, straight into her legs. She lost her balance, falling against Jesse.

"Jesus, you are drunk," Jesse grunted, a little winded at the impact of her body slamming against him. "Get inside."

But Beca was fighting to stay upright and pushing against him."Go away! I don't need you here! Just fucking go away already!" Her yells echoed back up the corridor and Beca suddenly realised how loud she was being at this ungodly hour of the morning. And if she didn't want Mr. Asshole from apartment 3F to come out bellowing with a shotgun, she'd better -

"Get inside. Now!" Jesse said firmly.

This time she did and Jesse followed, holding on to her bag and her cat and shutting the door behind him. Beca tossed her keys into the bowl and stood squarely in front of Jesse, glaring defiantly at him. He lowered Snowball to the floor, left her bag to one side and straightened up, returning her glare.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" Jesse started.

"Why should I?" Beca volleyed back.

"You said you'll wait," Jesse replied. "I just had to do something real quick-"

Beca snorted derisively. "Sure. Two hours was real quick. What happened? Did you hook up with one of the models on the way down?"

"I said I'll be back," Jesse insisted, not backing down and not answering her question. "You were drunk and in no fit state -"

"I can take care of myself," Beca interrupted hotly. "There was no need -"

"Have you seen yourself?" Jesse answered angrily back. "You were walking round in this cold with just a sweater. Your face looked like it had been stomped on and you are clearly drunk. It's dangerous. You could have been -"

"What? Robbed? Raped? Killed? All three?" Beca yelled back. "Nothing happened, ok? I am perfectly fine."

"Nothing happened?" Jesse's voice went up a notch. "Explain why your face is like that. I was watching you just now and you can't even walk properly -"

"Just quit the lecture, ok?" Beca answered back. "I can take care of myself. Why does it even matter to you, anyway?"

"Of course it matters!" Jesse shouted, his fists clenching at his sides. "For god's sake, Beca! Of course it fucking matters."

"Why are you even here?" Beca said. "Don't you hav -"

She could not continue because he had cleared the space between them in two strides and were now pulling her into him. She was encased in the tight grip of his arms, her arms pinioned to her sides. Both his hands were gripping her hair and Jesse was kissing her forcefully. She yelped into his mouth. She could now feel the pain and soreness on her cheek, where she had face planted herself on the pavement just now. Jesse must have known she was hurting because he immediately break the kiss and drew back. Only to bury his face into her hair, muttering almost to himself, "God, what are you doing to me?"

Of course it mattered.

He had been worried sick. He had wanted to go as soon as he can but Aubrey had a deathly grip on his arm and had whirled him and Cassie from one guest to another, making small talk, drinking champagne, taking one photograph after another. He had wanted to give Beca a quick call but Aubrey's suspicious eyes did not seemed to leave him and Jesse slid that phone back into his pocket.

Once Cassie was in the town car on her way home, Jesse had rushed off to Decibel only to find the office locked. Perhaps he wouldn't have minded it so much if Beca had left a message but she didn't and the numerous calls he made went unanswered. Jesse reasoned she might be at home and took that quick twenty minute walk. The apartment was dark, she didn't answer her phone yet again and Jesse stood in the cold doorway for an hour, getting more and more worried.

Then Beca Mitchell sauntered round the corner, clearly inebriated by her unsteady gait, hair a mess, with cuts and bruises on her face and he lost it. All his frantic worry for the past hour just exploded into anger. He was angry at her for not waiting, for getting hurt, angry at himself for not getting to her sooner, for not being there when whatever happened to make her face like that, happened.

Of course it fucking mattered.

He did not any harm to come to her. She was amazing and beautiful and special. And he wanted her happy and safe. Jesse tightened his arms around her, his anger and worry draining away now that she was here. He closed his eyes, kissing her messy hair and then Jesse realised how still and cold she was in his arms. She was usually so responsive yet now Beca was stiff as a board, not hugging or kissing him back and Jesse drew back, releasing his hold on her.

She was still angry. Her blue eyes were flashing at him and Jesse noted how tightly drawn her mouth was.

"Why are you here?" Beca said, her voice sharp like a blade. "You want sex? Is that why you're here?"

Jesse didn't know why but the way she was spitting the words out hurts.

"Bec-"

"That's the only reason you are here, isn't it?" Beca continued. "You wanna fuck." She yanked her sweater off forcefully, now standing in front of Jesse in just her bra and jeans. "Come on then," Beca challenged. "Let's fuck." __And then he'll leave, like all of them.__

Jesse stared at her breasts and then his eyes travelled up to Beca's pale, pinched face, one side with those awful cuts and the other with its high spot of colour on her cheek. Her mouth was twisted hard but the worst was her eyes. He had never seen them so bitter and so sad.

"No," Jesse said slowly. "Not like this."

They stood silent just facing each other. Then Beca scoffed, dropping her eyes and turning away. She didn't know why she had tears in her eyes. She dashed them quickly unseen whilst walking towards her bedroom. "Fine! Whatever." Beca muttered harshly before going into her bedroom and slamming the door behind her. She threw herself down into her bed, face down into her pillows, without getting undressed. It was a welcomed relief to be in bed and she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

AN: _Ugh. I'm sorry for the lack of shmex in this chapter. Blame that family with two kids who asked whether they could sit at my table at Starbucks. I was about to write some when they interrupted me. This chapter is so boring but I want both of them to move a little in their relationship. So very sorry! _


	19. Chapter 19

**AN : **I love you guys soooooo much. Thank you for your reviews about the last chapter and for being so sweet. Here's another chapter and StoicMuch, because it's your birthday, I did add one of your suggestions.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

__Chloe?__

__Chloe's home?__

Beca jerked herself awake and whipped her head off her pillow. She immediately regretted it. Her head felt like it was exploding. It was already daylight, judging the light streaming in from her bedroom window but Beca didn't know what time it was. She could hear someone moving round in the apartment. That was what woke her up. And now she smelled coffee. Chloe's already home?

Beca got up slowly, wrapping her duvet around her and staggered towards the door. "Chloe?" she croaked, opening her bedroom door and dragging herself towards the kitchen. She yawned loudly and rubbed her face with one hand. "You're back early. When did you come in?"

She finished her yawn and focused her eyes. Ok, Chloe wasn't that tall. Nor was she a brunette. Chloe hardly know which way to hold a pan, let alone cook something. Nor was Chloe a man. Beca gaped at the sight of Jesse Swanson standing with bare feet in her kitchen. He was by the stove, concentrating on the pan which was sizzling loudly but looked up when he heard her speaking.

For a moment, Beca thought she was hallucinating. Didn't he leave last night? She didn't put out last night or more precisely, he changed his mind after seeing what a mad, stark-raving bitch she was; so...he shouldn't be here, right? He would have left, right? Except it was morning, the coffee was burbling in the machine and he was still here, in last night's clothes, cooking something that smelled amazing in her kitchen.

"You stayed." Beca stuttered out.

Jesse was still staring at her, his face guarded before turning his attention back to the pan. He carefully stirred the contents before setting it aside and putting another pan on the stove.

"Yeah," he finally answered. "Your cat won't let me leave."

Beca's eyes swivelled to Snowball's basket. The basket was empty but she found the fat cat contentedly eating from his bowl. "You fed Snowball?" Beca said stupidly, her brain still trying to wake up and play catch up. Snowball mewed at the sound of his name.

"Didn't want him waking you up," Jesse said blandly. He moved to the counter, deftly cracking some eggs into the hot pan.

"Eggs. Where did you get eggs?" Beca asked.

Jesse didn't answer until the eggs were sizzling and he ran spatula round the edges. "Mr. Anderson gave me half a dozen."

Beca rubbed her temples. Nothing made sense. "Mr. Anderson?"

"Your neighbour from 3F."

"Wha..why?" Beca started, far too confused now.

"Your fridge's empty. Nothing but milk and beer," Jesse was saying now, flipping the eggs over easy in the pan. "I went to look for food but the stores were all closed. Your neighbour gave me some eggs."

"Why would he give you eggs? He hates me," Beca stammered. Talking about her neighbour from 3F seemed to be the safest topic until she can make sense out of this whole situation.

"He was concerned about you. Heard yelling last night and thought he checked," Jesse said tersely. He ladled the contents of the other pan, which looks like corned beef hash onto a plate before sliding the eggs on top and placing the plate on the counter. "Just accept that some people are nice and want to help."

__Ok, that was an indirect jibe. __\- Beca thought - Where_ did he get the corned beef __hash__ from?_

_"_Old potatoes under the sink. Out of date tin of corned beef in the cupboard but I think you'll survive," Jesse said as if he read her mind. "Now eat."

Beca took the plate and sat on the dining table, pulling her duvet more securely round her. She was only too aware she was topless, with only her bra and jeans on. She must looked like hell right now. Surreptitiously, Beca peeked at Jesse who was pouring some hot coffee out into a mug. He was still in last night clothes, in his white shirt, sleeves rolled up, without his jacket. His hair was all mussed up and he looked like he didn't sleep very well. The couch was probably too short for him.

Beca played with her food. It smelled delicious and her mouth was watering but there was this tonne of guilt sitting on her chest all of a sudden. Jesse came over and slammed the mug of coffee and a bottle of ketchup a little too forcefully on the table and that made her jump. He didn't sit down. He turned back to the counter, putting all the dirty pans and bowls into the sink and started to wash up.

The kitchen was silent except for the sound of running water, pans being scrubbed and intermittent sound of Beca's fork scraping a plate. Jesse washed everything meticulously and wiped the dishes dry. He wasn't quite sure where to store everything and just piled everything neatly to one side, before wiping down the stove and counter. He took his time, concentrating on the job. It beats having to turn around and face Beca Mitchell. When everything was done, he hung the dishcloth on the oven handle before slowly turning round.

"You not done yet?" Jesse said, noting the food was barely eaten. Beca was pushing a bit of egg about and looked up at him. "Not to your liking?"

"No. It's delicious, really," she answered quickly. "Thank you." Beca then continued in a smaller voice, looking down back to the plate.. "It's just...my mouth hurts."

There was a long minute before she heard him sighing and then he walked over to where she was sitting. "Let me look at you." His voice was softer and that made Beca felt a little braver to lift her head and look up at him. He still had that half angry, half hurt look on his face but his hands were gentle on her face. "It's slightly swollen. You've got some cuts which could use some cream and a huge bruise," Jesse said. "Care to tell me how this happened?"

"I fell over."

"And?"

"Bill helped me up or I would have slept on the pavement."

"With what you were wearing yesterday?" Jesse raised his voice. "You could've freeze to death!"

Beca flinched at his tone, looking back down and Jesse quickly tried to calm himself. It was no use losing his temper and shouting at her like this. Beca heard him breathing deeply once; then twice. Then she heard the scrape of a chair being drawn nearer and Jesse sat down. He took the fork and knife out of her hands and proceeded to cut the food into smaller pieces.

"Here."

He was offering a small bit of egg with some mashed up potatoes. She had half a mind to tell him to get lost. She didn't need feeding like an infant. But the gesture was so sweet. This whole staying over, feeding her nefarious cat so it won't wake her up and then cooking her breakfast was sweet. She had been a grade A mad bitch last night and yet he stayed and made her breakfast. He even remembered how she liked ketchup with her eggs and now he was cutting up her food and trying to feed her? Beca opened her mouth and took that proffered morsel gratefully. They sat in silence, him feeding her slowly while she tried to chew and swallow through the pain.

"You didn't have any," Beca said in between bites.

"I'll get something on my way home," Jeeze replied, offering another forkful.

"I had enough. Have some," Beca said.

And then she sneezed loudly, spraying bits of egg and potatoes all over.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" Beca apologised, rising up from her duvet cocoon and hastily tried to wipe whatever food she has sprayed all over Jesse Swanson. Except that she sneezed twice more.

"Beca, sit down before you hurt yourself," Jesse said, pushing her back to her seat.

"I'm so sorry," Beca sniffed. Beca was mortified. At this very moment, she didn't have any shred of dignity left. She dragged a corner of the duvet over her mouth and nose and looked wretchedly at Jesse who was wiping himself down. Great. Just great. Someone nice enough to make her breakfast and she sneezed all over him.

"I'm really sorry," Beca echoed again. "Not only for this. But...for last night."

There. She said it.

Jesse glanced up at her with that guarded look on his face. But then his face softened. "Apology accepted," he said, looking down at the plate between them and mashing up some more potatoes. "And I'm sorry too. For making you wait and for yelling at you."

"I yelled at you too," Beca conceded. "I'm a psycho bitch when I'm drunk."

"You were quite cute when you're drunk," Jesse replied, propping his head on one hand and gazing at her. "...until you turn into a psycho bitch."

The corner of her mouth twitched in response and Beca quickly looked away so Jesse wouldn't see. "Umm.. Thanks for staying and cooking all this," she said swiftly to cover the smile. "Although I did sneeze all ov - " Her sentence was punctuated with two violent sneezes. She felt like her head really exploded and Beca sniffled loudly, pulling the duvet tighter round her.

"How you feeling?" Jesse asked, his forehead wrinkling with worry.

_Like a bus ran over me. Like Godzilla stomped over me. Like my head is full of wool and will explode any second._

"I need a shower," Beca said instead.

"Ok. Do you need help?"

Beca shook her head. "No. I got it." She pushed her chair back, rose from her duvet cocoon and walk a little unsteadily to the bathroom. Jesse watched her until she disappeared from sight and he heard the bathroom door close. He stood up and brought the plate to the sink but Jesse nearly dropped the plate when he heard a muffled scream from the bathroom. He was there in a few seconds, knocking urgently on the door.

"Beca? Bec, are you ok?" Jesse didn't wait for a reply, twisting the knob and almost falling into the bathroom when Beca opened the door. She was in one piece. For one horrible minute, Jesse thought he would find her lying on the floor, unconscious. Thank goodness she was in one piece.

"Jesus, you have to stop scaring me," Jesse said. "What happened? You ok?"

"My face!" Beca freaked out. "Oh my god, I didn't know it's that bad."

She went back to peer into the mirror, gingerly touching the cuts on her face. Jesse was beside her and gently pulled her shoulder until she was facing him.

"Let me help you clean that," he said and before long, he was gently washing her cuts with a soft washcloth. Beca winced a few times but stayed still because Jesse was frowning down at her.

"Do you still want a shower?" he asked, giving the cuts a final soft swipe before dropping the washcloth into the sink.

"Yes."

"OK. Sit down while I run you one."

Beca was feeling a little giddy and she gladly sit down on the covered toilet while he switched on the taps and adjusted the temperature. She shut her eyes trying to quell that giddiness.

"Jesse? Maybe the shower's not a good idea," she mumbled. "My head -"

"I'm going to shower you," he replied. Beca nodded and a few moments later, she felt his hands undressing her. She stepped into the bath slowly with Jesse's help and sat down. He was on his knees outside the bath, running the warm water all over her. He was gentle when soaping her and washing her clean. Beca sighed a little as he shampooed and washed her hair. He toweled her dry before wrapping her up with a bathrobe he found hanging on a hook.

"Don't freak out. I'm going to carry you," Jesse said softly. Beca just hummed back and wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her out of the bath. She was feeling far too tired to argue. This was nice. Just closing her eyes, being held and carried like this, was nice. Jesse dropped her gently on her bed before going back to the bathroom to get some cream for the graze on her back and her bruised face. Beca watched him as he knelt in front of her, smearing the cream on her cuts, rubbing it in gently. He was ever so careful she didn't even feel the soreness when he touched her.

"When did you get so good at this?" Beca said.

"What?" Jesse replied, frowning a little.

"This whole nurse thing."

She watched as he paid meticulous attention to the cut on her cheek, pretending he didn't hear her question. He must have felt her unwavering gaze because Jesse bit down on his lower lip, his eyes meeting hers. There was that uncharacteristic guarded look in his eyes but he looked down, squeezing a bit more cream on his fingers and laying it on her cuts.

"I took care of my mom when she was sick," he answered, not looking at her. "She was sick for a very long time."

Ok. This was new. He never talked about his family before and judging by the careful look on his face, it was something he was not comfortable with. Beca swallowed a little, thinking what she should say next.

"You're very good at it," she finally said.

Jesse met her eyes this time. He smiled a little sadly. "Thank you."

And she pulled his head down and kissed him softly. He kissed her back, hands dropping to her waist. And when Beca peppered soft kisses all over his face, Jesse sighed and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close. She felt how tight he was holding her. He was holding her like she was his anchor and Beca hugged him back, equally tight. He was mumbling incoherently into her hair and neck; words she could not quite make out but she knew he was in pain. She could feel it.

Jesse was kissing her with some desperation, like he was trying to drown some unhappy memory. And Beca shut her eyes, holding on tight, wishing that she could willed away his pain. She had never seen him this sad and all she wanted to do was hold him and comfort him. Slowly she lie back on her bed, bringing him along. He was kissing her down her throat, pushing her bathrobe apart, hands seeking her breasts and Beca pulled the cord free, letting the bathrobe fall open. Her hands were in his hair and then rested at the back of his neck as he buried his face between her breasts, groaning into her skin.

Jesse stopped and pulled himself up, staring down at her. "Bec, we don't have to do this."

"Shh.." she said, her hands already unbuttoning his shirt. "C'mere."

She pulled him down, seeking his mouth, hands busy pulling his shirt off. Once he felt her cool, soft skin against his, Jesse ceased to think. He could not. All he wanted was to drown in her. Her sweetness, her warmth. He felt so sad all of a sudden and she was there underneath him, holding him so tight, so close, so safe that Jesse just closed his eyes and sunk unthinking into the comfort she was giving to him.

She was sighing so softly into his ear.

Soft moans that blocked out the sadness. Soft flesh in his hands and mouth.

And when he was entering her, just the feel of her moving against him obliterated any thought. He groaned out loud because it had never been this good, this sweet with anyone else. Jesse didn't know why. He had other lovers, other women before her but it had never been like this. He was being rough, thrusting hard into her, trying to fuck his sadness into oblivion. He could not stop. He could not slow down. He should be gentle with her. He should be considerate and bring her along with him but she was kissing him and holding him and opening herself up so selflessly that he just could not stop. And when he finally come, shuddering hard, hands clenching onto the sheets, tears in the corners of his eyes, it was the sweetest, most welcomed, most blessed relief.

* * *

He woke up with his head on her chest.

He heard her heart beating underneath, felt her chest rising and falling slowly and her fingers was playing with his hair. She must have known he was awake because Beca was now running her hand on his back soothingly, her other hand pulling him closer.

Jesse closed his eyes, cursing internally.

He had been so selfish just now; fucking her hard, not even bothering to make sure she was enjoying herself. By right, she should have thrown him out of her bed and yet here she was holding him like this. He was just the worst idiot alive. He really didn't deserve to be here. Jesse raised himself up, gazing down at her, lying tousled and sleepy on the bed. The bruise on her cheek was getting worse but he thought he never seen anyone looked more beautiful.

"Hi." Beca said, smiling up sleepily at him. "Good nap?"

Jesse smiled back, nodding slowly. "Yeah."

"Your phone's been ringing," she continued. "I think you should answer it."

He loathed to let her go. She was so warm and soft but Beca had that look on her face and Jesse knew he might as well do exactly what she said. He kissed her at the corner of her mouth before getting up and searched for his phone. JEsse glanced down at the number of messages and missed calls. "I've gotta make a few calls," he said.

Beca nodded, sinking back into the bed as he walked out of the room. His phone didn't stop ringing just now. She was about to wake him up but he was sleeping so soundly she didn't have the heart to do so. And a teeny part of her was being very selfish. He was cuddled against her so snugly, wrapping his arms around her. It was a wonderful feeling; one she had not felt for some time. So she let him sleep, enjoying his warmth and the heavy weight of his body on her.

It was probably Cassie or Aubrey calling, asking where he was.

Beca felt a twinge of guilt at that thought. She had no right to keep him here if he had to leave. This was strictly a physical relationship. What right did she have? Beca started a little when Jesse came back into the room. She sat up in bed, pushing her hair out of her face. He should be getting dressed and going in a second and she wanted to lock the door behind him. But he was getting back into bed, pulling her into him.

"Don't you have to go?" Beca asked, surprised.

His face was buried in her hair and Jesse shook his head. "No."

He settled into the bed, humming contentedly and Beca rested her head on his chest.

"Thank you for just now," Jesse spoke up. "I shouldn't have -"

"No, it's ok," Beca replied. She knew how it was like to be that sad and Beca was glad she could offer whatever comfort she could. Even though it was only sex. She hesitated a while before saying, "I'm sorry about your mom. What happened?"

Jesse shifted uneasily. Beca could hear his heart thudding underneath her eye. For a moment, she thought he would clammed up. It was really not her place to ask.

"She died eight years ago. I didn't know she was so sick," he replied. "It was her heart that gave way in the end. The grief was too much."

Beca stayed silent, trying to digest what he was saying.

"My dad was out in Afghanistan. He didn't make it back."

Her hands tightened around him and she held him closer.

"It was a hard time. I was...not in the best of place. Went off the rails, run around with the wrong crowd, making wrong choices. I must have put my mom through hell," Jesse continued.

"How old were you?" Beca asked.

"Old enough to know better," Jesse sighed deeply. "Uncle George put me straight. I came to my senses and saw how sick my mom was. It was a huge wake-up call. I was glad I had the chance to take care of her before she passed."

It was painful for him to talk about this. Beca could sense it yet Jesse continued talking, telling her about his mom and dad. He didn't have any other siblings. Losing his dad really hit him hard. And then his mom. Beca could not imagine how difficult it was for him. Yes, her relationship with her dad wasn't that great. Still she still have both parents alive and she knew they loved her still.

"I don't know what would happened if Uncle George had not set me straight," Jesse said, his voice almost breaking from talking so much.

"You're very close to him." Beca said.

"I owe him a lot," Jesse replied. "He made it possible for me to finish school, get a good degree. I didn't have to worry about anything."

Beca nodded silently. It was all making sense. The lonesome Thanksgiving. And Christmas.

"My dad was his godson. I grew up with him around," Jesse said. "Him and Cassie."

_Of course. They were best friends and they had been together since they were little. It hurt just a little. Why did that hurt?_ Beca mentally shook herself. She was being stupid.

"Cassie means a lot to you, huh?" Beca said, knowing the answer full well. Why did she even bother to ask?

"Beca, you have to understand," Jesse was saying now, turning to his side to look at her. "Cassie is my best friend. We grew up together. We've been through a lot. I will do anything for her. And I cannot bear to hurt her."

"Of course," Beca mumbled. "She's your best friend and girlfriend. That is absolutely great. Not everyone can be so lucky."

They were silent for a moment before Jesse spoke up again.

"Beca, is there something you want to ask me? "

"What? No. Nothing."

"You must wonder what the hell is this thing between me and Cassie."

Maybe a month, a week, a day ago, she would have asked. But not now. Not when he made it so clear.

"No. I understand everything." she replied, closing her tired eyes. She didn't want to think about this anymore. His warmth and the steady thudding of his heart was lulling her to sleep. "What I don't understand is..." Beca yawned, her slurred words muffled into his chest. "Why are you still here?"

His chest rose and fell.

"I'm right where I want to be," was his answer. "Why do you always ask that question?"

"Because they all leave," Beca answered sleepily, her eyes already closed. She was falling asleep. Through her half conscious mind, she saw faint images of all the men in her life. Her dad, a parade of boyfriends, Daniel Meade and now Jesse Swanson. And in a whisper so faint that Jesse nearly missed it, just before she fell asleep, Beca Mitchell whispered, "They all always leave."


	20. Chapter 20

_****For Jutord. You'll know it, baby.****_

* * *

****Chapter 20****

They had a strict rule.

No hook ups at work.

It was too dangerous and they didn't want to get caught. So the deal was they will meet up once a week, dunno...maybe twice, usually at his place. They would have sex (lots of sex, which was still amazing, by the way) and maybe hang out afterwards. They would hang out if neither of them had any plans, that is. Usually they didn't. Strange that.

And that rule about not hooking up at work? Yeah, that went out of the window by week three.

It all started when she strode into the management board meeting he was in. It was one of those dreary meetings where all the magazine titles did a presentation to the board with their plans for the year; and after a long day listening to vague concepts and even vaguer numbers, Jesse nearly lost his will to live. Decibel drew the last slot for the day when everyone was already eager to escape to the bar. They were expecting Noah as Editor-in-chief to do the presentation, but in walked Beca Mitchell with Jim and Tina in the rear.

"Ladies and gents, Noah sent his apologies. He had been called away on a family emergency so I'll be doing this presentation for Decibel," Beca said. She stood, self-assured and smiling in the front while Jim and Tina were setting up behind her. "The team in Decibel is very excited to bring you our ideas for this year. So let's begin."

And for the next half hour, she wowed them.

The pitch was perfect. A few slides with facts and figures. Mood boards. Mock up covers and possible spreads. And because Decibel was a music magazine, Beca had somehow incorporated iconic musical sound bites to tie everything up and made all the directors sat up and listened. It was not all show, however. The board grilled her closely about the stats presented in the folders she had Jim passed round. They were trying to catch her out and she answered every one of their questions confidently.

Jesse didn't quite know why but he was both impressed and proud of her.

It was obvious she was well prepared. Down to a T. Even down to what she was wearing.

She was not in her usual uniform of jeans and top, opting to wear a white fitted shirt with a tan pencil skirt that was just an inch above her knee. A slim brown leather belt circled her tiny waist. Her hair was curled and glossy and she had ditched her dark eye make-up, opting for something light and sophisticated. Jesse knew he was staring. He couldn't help it. She looked so hot, so in control it was turning him on a little. He tried to hide his obvious ogling by pretending to make notes on the yellow pad in front of him but his writing turned into silly doodles instead. And then Beca Mitchell walked across the room to show the mock-ups set up on a stand and Jesse caught a tantalising glimpse of the lacy top of her thigh high stocking and her garter belt from the slit on the side of her skirt.

"Any other questions?" Beca asked, looking round the room expectantly at the end of the presentation. Her eyes landed briefly on Jesse before moving on. There was a muted murmur in the room, a few shakes of the head and all over smiles. She then thanked them charmingly and started gathering all her materials. The rest of the board was already standing up, filing out of the room.

"Miss Mitchell," Jesse piped up suddenly. Beca looked up to find him frowning down the folder she had given out just now. "I just want to double check some of these figures with you, if you don't mind."

"Sure," Beca answered, walking over and standing to Jesse's left. She nodded at a passing director who smiled in her direction and then leaned down, looking at the page Jesse was frowning over. "Which ones, Mr. Swanson?"

"The projection on this one seems to be overly optimistic - " Jesse started, running a finger down the column. "So if you could explain how you get to this..." Beca leaned forward and was in the middle of explaining the numbers when she felt Jesse's left hand sliding up her thigh. They were on the further side of the conference table, away from the door and no one could see his hand moving up her skirt. She almost lost track of what she was saying.

"You should really stop doing this," Jesse murmured, one finger tracing the top of her stocking, stroking her sensitive skin.

"Stop doing what, Mr. Swanson?" Beca asked softly, keeping perfectly still. The last board director had just left the room, leaving the door wide open.

"Stop being so freaking sexy," Jesse murmured back, his fingers playing with the garter strap attached to her stocking. He pulled it lightly and let it snapped against her skin. Beca jumped a little at the sting. He was still looking down at the figures, his hand still under her skirt.

"Why? Is it distracting you?" Beca whispered nonchalantly. She turned fractionally away so that his hand brushed against her ass.

Jesse didn't answer.

She knew he wouldn't be able to.

Because she wasn't wearing any panties and he just found that out right that very minute. Beca straightened up and moved away from his hand, all the while smirking down at Jesse. Yeah, she'd just owned him. He will not be able to think straight now. Except he was was rising to his feet, forcing her to back up against the table, towering over her and Beca found herself leaning back against the table.

"If you keep insisting on behaving like this, Miss Mitchell -" Jesse murmured as he moved in closer, forcing her legs to part. Her skirt rode up her thighs, revealing the stockings and garters she was wearing and his hand was already sliding up and resting on her upper thingh. "We may have to break our one rule right here, right now."

Beca breathed out in surprise. The door was still open. Anyone could walk in any second now to find them like this.

"You wouldn't dare," Beca challenged.

"Try me." Jesse replied.

Beca bit her bottom lip, staring up at his dark eyes.

"Not here. Let's not be stupid," she backed down. Jesse merely gazed down at her. "Give me an hour and meet me at the Closet."

* * *

**An hour later, in the Closet**

"Stacie has a late run-through upstairs," Beca whispered urgently, linking her fingers through his and pulling him into the Closet. "We've got half an hour, 45 minutes tops."

Once the door shut behind them, Jesse pulled her back into his arms, kissing her fiercely, effectively shutting Beca Mitchell up. He had spent the last hour simmering in his office, thinking of her pressed against a table in front of him, skirt scrunched up round her waist, without her panties and frankly, half an hour sounded like a lot of time for what he had in mind. His hands were already impatiently pushing her skirt up and Beca batted them away. Jesse groaned when she danced away from his arms, again tugging at him to move further into the room.

"Why are we wasting time?" he whined.

"You'll see," came the cryptic reply.

She finally let go of his hand when they reached the furthest corner of the room. It was hidden by a bank of shelves and when he turned the corner, Jesse saw it was a dressing room with three sides covered with floor to ceiling mirrors. Beca now turned around, her fingers now slowly unbuttoning the fitted shirt she was wearing. Jesse stood still, with a stupefied look on his face.

"Well, Mr. Swanson, would you care to sit down?" Beca said. She tipped her head to a chair right in the middle, facing the mirrors.

He sat down.

She crawled on his lap, latching her lips on his. Her hands slowly undid his tie and once it was loose, Beca drew back, draping the silk maroon tie around her neck. He was running his hands from her waist down to her thighs, trying to push her skirt up yet again and Beca suddenly scowled and shook her head vehemently.

"You are interrupting me," she said, slapping his hands away and getting off his lap. "Let's be a good boy now, shall we?" Beca murmured sultrily. She went to his back and a moment later, Jesse felt his hands being tied behind the chair. He had an inkling what she used to tie him up. Beca walked round to face him now. Jesse just looked up at her, wondering what she would do next. Perhaps she will strip for him? That would be so hot.

She didn't.

Beca tossed her hair back, gathering them up into a messy bun. He didn't know where she hid it but she had a lipstick in her hand. She uncapped the lipstick, twisting the base and slowly slicked the red, red colour on her lips. He was mesmerised by the slow way she was gliding the lipstick across her lips, over and over. Beca knew he was watching, and the corners of her mouth twitched knowingly as she tucked the lipstick back into her bra.

She sat back on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, playing with the curls at his nape. Her hands slid down from his neck to the top button of his open collar and then, with excruciating slowness, Beca undid the buttons on his shirt. As the shirt came undone, she kissed him down his chest. Jesse stared at the images reflected back to him on the mirror. He was already panting heavily, so freaking turned on and tied to this chair and this siren was leaving a trail of red lipstick marks all over his chest as she moved further down. Beca was kneeling in front of him, between his legs and she smiled teasingly up at him as her hands undid his belt and zip and set him free. Her hands were gentle and soft and Jesse groaned a little, shutting his eyes.

"Open your eyes," she ordered.

Jesse took a deep breath before opening his eyes and looking down at her. She had re-applied that lipstick again, her mouth red and inviting. And with one hand holding his dick and her eyes meeting his, Beca ran her open mouth up from the base to the tip. Her tongue flicked out, giving gentle, teasing licks around his head, her hand moving up and down, pumping him slowly. Jesse grunted, enjoying the ticklish sensation of her tongue and the sweet rub of her hand on him. But when her mouth suddenly closed over his hard head and then she slammed her mouth down to take all of him in, he jerked hard against the chair, swearing out loud.

Her mouth was dangerous.

And warm. And wet.

He did not have any control.

And that was both pissing him off and turning him on so much.

He wanted to fist her hair. He wanted to grab her hair, hold her head steady and thrust hard into her mouth. He wanted so badly to ride her mouth. Because what she was doing with her hands, her tongue, her lips was driving him mad. He could see the red lipstick was now smeared all over her mouth and on his dick . Her mouth looked so sullied, so violated, so fucked and all he could do was sit there, hands tied, watching her red mouth, sliding up and down his shaft. He could only sit there and look at all the sexy images the mirrors were reflecting back to him. The sight of her giving him this blowjob from the back, from the sides. His dick sliding into her mouth. Her skirt was now hiked up, showing those sexy as fuck stockings and garter belt and her naked perfect behind.

He was close but then she slowed down yet again and Jesse yelled out his frustration, throwing his head back, his bound wrists tugging against his tie. How long had it been? Ten, fifteen minutes? He was conscious that Stacie will be back soon and god, he wanted to come so much right now.

But not like this.

Jesse shifted in his seat, grunting and pulled against the tie holding his wrists together. The feel of her mouth on his dick was distracting but he could not wait any longer. With a hard tug, the tie came undone and his hands were on Beca's shoulder, pushing her away. Her blue eyes popped open in surprise and Jesse allowed himself a triumphant smirk before quickly rising up from the chair, bringing her along.

"You're a very bad girl," Jesse said, eyes smoldering down hers, pulling her flushed against him. He crushed his mouth over hers and Beca squeaked in surprise, nearly falling backwards if he did not held on her tight. He was kissing her so deeply that Beca lost her train of thought, her insides turning into mush that when he finally let her go, she was panting to get her breath back.

He had turned the chair round during the kiss, the back towards the mirror and in one swift movement, he whirled Beca to face the mirror, pushing her to kneel on the chair. Beca was just about to gain her breath back when she felt her skirt being pushed up, exposing her bare behind. His hand squeezed her bare bottom and then he spanked her. Beca yelped a little, nearly falling out of the chair but he held her steady. She was not expecting that hard, stinging slap on her ass.

"Too hard?" Jesse whispered into her ear, his hand now stroking her skin gently to soothe away the sting.

"No. It just took me by surprise," Beca stammered back. " I...I wasn't expecting it."

"Hmm." Jesse said thoughtfully, his other hand now trailing up her front, closing round her breast. His fingers played with her nipple while his hand was still stroking that hurt on her ass. Beca bit her bottom lip to stifle a groan.

"That is strange," Jesse continued, in the same low undertone. "How could you not expect it when you've been so naughty? "

He delivered another stinging slap to her ass. She gasped out loud, feeling the delicious burn on her skin. His hand was now touching her from behind, searching for her opening. His fingers were rough, rubbing against her, prying her open. She could not stifled that second groan. She was so wet and so ready. He was still teasing her, his fingers rubbing and dipping until Beca felt like she could not stand it any more. She wanted more, trying to rub herself against his hand, only to have him remove it.

"So impatient," he murmured, smirking when he heard Beca grunting in frustration. She was so wet the tips of his fingers were slick. Gently, his four fingers rubbed against her sex as he rubbed the pad of his thumb against her ass. She was cursing him now, much to his amusement and Jesse stared at the reflection of them in the mirror. She was kneeling on the chair, hands braced against the back, her shirt undone. Her hair was tumbling over her shoulders, fringe over her shut eyes and her white teeth were biting her plump lower lip as she tried to stifle those sexy groans.

Jesse removed his hand, anchoring it on her waist. She heard the sound of his belt and trousers hitting the floor and then, Beca felt his hot, hard tip against her. She wanted to press against that hard dick and ride it hard but his hand on her waist was holding her still.

"Look at the mirror, baby," Jesse growled, one hand cupping her chin up so she was staring straight into the mirror. Beca could hardly focused on the reflection. All she could see was her ,disheveled and panting, clothes all skewed, make-up smeared and he was right behind her. Their eyes met and Jesse watched her face in the mirror as he drove hard into her.

* * *

So yes, that strict rule was no longer a rule.

Jesse was surprised by how ingenious Beca was in finding places where they will not be disturbed for at least half an hour. Who would have thought the conference rooms were quiet on Friday afternoons? Or that access leading to the fire escape can be opened without the fire alarm going? Doing it on the steps brought all sorts of new angles into the mix that had them both panting, coming so hard and fast. The only thing Jesse regretted was how dusty it was.

The elevators were pretty exciting. Not the main one because of all the security cameras but the little used goods lift that goes straight to the studios on the third floor. Just thinking about having her against the wall whilst the elevator was moving was making him feel all hot.

And the photography studios? Yeah, they had done it in one of the darkrooms. Here was a full scale photo shoot which he was checking out. Beca happened to be there. It was mayhem and in between the racks and racks of clothes and confusion, she had tugged him towards the darkroom and they easily slipped in unnoticed. It was risky and Jesse loved it. The fact he could hear the babble of models and production assistants, working and moving around outside as he fucked her against the stout door, just added to the excitement.

But his favourite must be the roof.

He had a tough meeting all afternoon and was so ready to down a strong drink and maybe turn in early that night but she was all teasing smiles and naughty eyes that Jesse did not question why he was using his all access pass to get to the roof. It was a very high building and it was still winter. The wind was horrendous. But doing it outside with the wind buffeting around them as they both cling to each other under his coat, was hot. And having her warm mouth closed over his dick in the cold outside air was definitely a magical experience. It must have been one of the best blowjobs he had. Apart from their first time in the Closet, of course.

All those hard, quick, dangerous hook-ups were exciting. And amazing. There was no doubt about that. But it was nothing compared to the ones where he had her to himself in his bed for hours, slowly teasing, slowly unravelling together, without having to keep one eye on his watch or the door. Those slow hours were the best and they will always ended up panting and tangled in the sheets before slowly drifting to sleep. And he enjoyed waking up to her snoring up against him. She would flipped her finger at him when he teased her about the snoring the next morning but will apologise by making some French toast for him. Her french toast was heavenly. He liked those times the best.

And he loved it when they hung out afterwards, arguing about his taste in music or her abhorrence for any other movies besides Star Wars and musicals. Yes. Musicals. Beca Mitchell loved movie musicals and Jesse found out her fondness for them when he caught her singing and dancing in his kitchen to West Side Story, playing on her laptop one morning. He had watched in half horror, half fascination. She had thought he was still asleep.

Jesse was thinking of all these as he stood by the doorway, watching Beca Mitchell lying on her front on his couch, frowning down at her laptop. She was in one of his tshirts and wearing boy shorts with huge headphones over her head, totally oblivious to her surroundings. He thought she looked great like this, just lying on his couch and he dunno...she looked like she belonged and yeah...maybe he could use to this sight.

Beca was so immersed in her work she didn't notice him staring at her. She didn't notice him creeping over, standing over her.. She only knew he was there when she felt his hands pushing up her (read: his) tshirt and he was planting one kiss after another up her spine. He laughed when she turned round and tell him to fuck off she's busy. And he had kissed her and kissed her until she stopped scowling, shut her laptop with an exaggerated sigh and kissed him back.

It was later when both of them were sleepy in bed when he finally asked her. Jesse had wanted to ask her all week but he was afraid she'll say no.

"Come with me to Italy."

Beca thought she was asleep and dreaming. She must be. Jesse had asked her to go to Italy.

"What?" she replied sleepily.

"Come with me to Italy," Jesse repeated. "I have to go to Rome at end of the month for work and I want you to come."

Beca rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and shifted round, her back to him. He pulled her close, spooning against her warm body, one hand closing over her soft breast. She didn't answer him and Jesse thought she had fallen asleep. The truth was she was wide awake now. She was definitely not dreaming and for once in her life, Beca Mitchell did not quite know what to say. Go with him to Italy? It all seemed a bit... serious.

"How long for?" Beca finally said.

Jesse was trailing soft kisses on her bare shoulder.

"About a week," he replied. "Come on.. it'll be fun. I'll pay for the ticket."

Beca sighed, turning back to face him.

"It's not about the ticket," she said quietly. He was looking down at her and Beca could not meet his eyes. She focused on the light hair on his chest, tracing random patterns on his skin with her fingers. "I dunno, dude. It feels weird. Like we are crossing the line or something."

Jesse scoffed.

"What line?" he argued. "I'll be in meetings all day. You'll have time to work on your articles or shop or go around Rome, which is amazing, by the way. Then we can have dinner together and spend nights like this. For a week. What's not to like?"

She was still unsure. He could tell by that expression on her face.

"We'll eat pizza every night, I promise." Jesse pulled out the ace out of his sleeve. "You can tell me how all the pizza in Italy is nothing compared to Gino's. And ice-cream. I let you have ice-cream after every meal. Come on, Beca... who could say no to pizza and ice-cream?"

* * *

She couldn't.

She could not say no to ice-cream and could not say no to him actually. Not when he was hovering naked above her, fixing those damn cute, irresistible eyes on her. She didn't let him pay for the flights though – she can afford that, thank you. Of course there was the question of not being seen with him. It also would take some explaining to the girls why she was off to Rome out of nowhere so Beca concocted a brilliant plan. She arranged for some interviews and work-related stuff in London and then flew down to Rome once she was done. It killed two birds with one stone. She can truthfully tell the girls it had something to do with work and she was not on the same flight as Jesse. Strangely, the girls did not ask many questions, especially Chloe who was so distracted lately.

Beca arrived at the airport and was about to take a train to the hotel when she found that idiot grinning widely at the Arrival hall, waving at her so hard Beca thought his arm will fall off.

"Dude, what are you doing here?" Beca said, surprised. "Aren't you supposed to wait at the hotel?"

"I can't wait any longer," the nerd said, hugging her tight. He gave her big, noisy kiss on her mouth, all the while grinning. "How's London?"

And he listened as Beca gushed about how wonderful London was, at all the people she had managed to interview, the gigs, the underground scene, all the way from the airport to the hotel. She was still talking when they reached the hotel room and Jesse wrestled with the key card to open the door. Beca only stopped talking when she took in the beautiful room with the four poster bed, littered with rose petals. There were bunches of roses on nearly every surface, lit candles and champagne on ice.

"What's this?" Beca asked, turning to face Jesse.

"Hmm?" Jesse answered, not looking at her. He seemed to be very busy putting away her luggage and then fiddling with a remote. "Oh. It's nothing. Complimentary from the hotel." Beca just nodded, trying not to let that twitch at the corners of her mouth bloomed into a smile. She couldn't stop it, however, when the sound system kicked in.

_Come inside, take off your coat, I'll make you feel at home._  
_Now let's pour a glass of wine 'cause now we're all alone._  
_I've been waiting all night so just let me hold you close to me,_  
_'Cause I've been dyin' for you girl to make love to me_

It was hilarious.

Beca wanted to laugh out loud at how cheesy the whole set up was but she fought down that laugh because Jesse was coming over. And he was holding her close, kissing her, pushing her coat off. She should be turned on right now. Because she had been thinking about him the last few day. She should jump him, really, but Colour Me Badd was now singing -

_Girl, you know I'm hooked on you,_  
_And this is what I'll do...  
__I wanna sex you up. All night.  
__You make me feel real good. _

\- and Beca Mitchell burst out laughing.

"What? What's wrong?" Jesse was staring at her, totally confused and another peal of laughter came out from Beca. He stared uncomprehending at the tiny brunette who was now leaning against one of the bedpost, laughing her ass off.

"You don't like this?" Jesse said, sounding a little annoyed now. He waved his arm to take in the rose covered bed, the candles, the champagne and all the while Colour me Badd was singing _I wanna sex you up. _

Beca controlled her laughter once she caught sight of Jesse's pissed off face. "Dude, we have to talk about your music taste. This whole set up might have worked in the early nineties with your high school girlfriend but we've moved along since then."

Jesse took a moment to see how the room looked like. She was right. Damn it, she was right. It did all looked a bit cheesy. No. A lot cheesy. "It's a bit much, isn't it?" he finally admitted.

Beca nodded, trying not to squeak another laugh out and failing.

"Ok," Jesse said. "I'll get the hotel staff to clear everything out."

"Hang on, dude. Don't be too hasty," Beca spoke up, putting up her hand. "Umm..the champagne's kinda nice."

"Oh?" Jesse answered, mouth twitching. "You wouldn't mind the champagne? That's not cheesy?"

"Pour me a glass and I tell you," Beca replied nonchalantly. He poured her a glass and she took a sip, glancing at Jesse from the rim of her finished the champagne in one gulp and shuffled the remote until Rihanna came out. Beca placed the flute down on table and walked over to Jesse, kicking off her heels. She stood in front of him, looked him in the eye and then went up on her tiptoes to kiss him fully on his mouth.

She tasted of champagne.

And his hands quickly undressed her.

Jesse drew back, looking down in surprise. She was wearing a black and hot pink Agent Provocateur corset, cinched so tight that Jesse could circle her waist with his two hands.

"Is this new?" Jesse asked. "I've never this before."

"This old thing?" Beca shrugged, making her pale breasts rose up. "It's nothing. Compliments from the hotel."

He had to smile and Jesse pulled her nearer by her waist. "Imma gonna have to inspect this closer," he said huskily, hands playing with ribbons on the corset. He picked her up bringing her over to the bed. And Beca found she didn't mind those rose petals nor the candles that much after all.

* * *

Beca finished her espresso, grimacing a little at the bitter aftertaste. Jesse was already at his meetings and she was having a leisurely long breakfast, munching on the flakiest pastries, chased by strong Italian roast espresso. It was the third day already in Rome and Beca loathed to admit that Jesse was right.

Rome was amazing.

She had gaped at the sights of centuries old ruins dotted around the place. The Colosseum was indeed colossus and Beca had stared in wonder at the painted ceilings of the Sistine Chapel. Jesse was far too busy to do all the touristy sights with her, his schedule packed with meetings but Beca didn't mind. She was happy wandering by herself until it was time to meet up for dinner. He would wait for her at the lobby of their hotel and they would wander around the streets, arguing what they should have for dinner.

And the food. Oh my god, the food.

Even the basic hole-in-the wall pizzerias will have mouth-watering displays of pizzas with combinations that she had never even heard of. Seriously? Pizza topped with grated potato and rosemary? And they sold them in rectangles? Not in pie slices? Don't get her started on the pasta. And the gelato. They must have spent so long, staring at the cabinets of gelato in every flavour imaginable, debating their choice. Beca swore she put on ten pounds already.

No. Scratch that.

The sex had been plenty. She must have worked off all the food she ate.

So yeah, so far this had been a terrific idea. It was refreshing they could just go out without a certain level of espionage involved. And it was sweet that he always laced his hands into hers as they walked round the ancient streets, talking about anything and everything. She was terrified of the traffic in Rome. The cars never seem to stop yet he was holding her hand and she felt slightly safer. He had wickedly hired a scooter one night, saying what a great idea it was. Beca was sure they will have an accident. She held fast, arms squeezing him tight, trying not to scream as they zipped through the streets of Rome. And when they finally stopped, she was shaking a little. He was laughing at first but when he saw how frightened she actually was, Jesse had wrapped his arms around her, murmuring soothing words until she stopped shaking.

Bar that scooter incident, Beca was actually enjoying herself. She was a little worried whether she could spend more than 24 hours in close quarters with Jesse without them killing each other. But he was considerate and neat and they were comfortable around each other. That was the other surprising thing. Beca was surprised at how much she enjoyed being with him. Having him argue with her over coffee. Letting her taste his gelato and swapping it with her when she decided he chose the better flavour. Jesse standing still, watching her do up his tie in the mornings. Jesse smiling down at her under the dim street light before swooping in for a brief kiss.

It was nice. It was better than nice.

How great would it be if they could continue doing this in New York.

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Beca immediately stood up, nearly upsetting the chair she was sitting on. She stood frozen as if in shock and a waiter had rushed up to her, speaking in rapid Italian. Beca stared at him, uncomprehending. "I'm sorry," Beca apologised, gathering up her things and placing a few euros to cover her coffee and pastry. "Scusi."

Beca had this overwhelming feeling that she should run. She walked rapidly away from the cafe, towards the hotel. It was not that far away. She was in front of the hotel before Beca decided she needed to take a longer walk. Her head was in a turmoil and perhaps a longer walk would calm her down. Ten minutes later, Beca felt a little calmer and her steps slowed down. She was at the Via Condotti, the narrow street near the Spanish Steps lined with designer boutiques. Beca stopped in front of Louis Vuitton, gazing unseeingly at the chic window display.

Beca breathed out slowly.

What the fuck was she thinking just now? Where did those traitorous thoughts came from? She wanted this..this couple thing with Jesse to continue in New York? _Get a grip, Beca - _she ranted silently at herself _\- This is just a fuck buddy relationship. There is nothing more to this. So what if you enjoy yourself with him? So what if he made you feel all kinds of wonderful? This will not go further this._

Beca was about to turn back when she heard a voice that made her freeze. "...Cara, of course! I am so happy you feel this way. Together we can make this happen." A tall woman was just coming out of the store. Beca knew that voice. Only Wilhemina Slater had perfected that icy yet shmoozy voice and here she was, arm in arm with a beautifully turned out Italian woman, Beca recognised the Italian woman as well. And then Nigel, one of the senior directors in US RUNWAY, came out of the store, right behind the ladies.

Thank goodness it was still cool enough for Beca to wear this coat. Thank goodness she had this huge sunglasses off hiding part of her part. Beca kept very still, looking like she was admiring the display. She deliberately keep her face averted, focusing on the reflection on the glass display before her. They were far too busy talking to even notice their surroundings and the group disappeared into the depths of a luxurious car which had drew up outside the store. Once the car drove off, Beca huffed out in relief and she walked back to the hotel, almost breaking into a run. It took her several tries with her keycard before she could open the door and she stumbled into the room, breathing hard.

"Beca, what's wrong? You ok?"

She dropped her clutch in fright. OK, her heart can only take so many shocks in one day. Jesse was standing before her in the room, looking concerned.

"What are you doing here?" Beca croaked. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Jesse picked up her clutch.

"I've finished all that I'm supposed to do," he said, handing the clutch back to her. "I'm all yours now. What would you like to do? Shall we go out for lunch?"

Beca gulped heavily, still trying to calm herself down. She knew she was acting a little weird because Jesse was still staring at her. She walked into the room, taking off her coat. Her hands played nervously with her sunglasses.

"Beca, are you alright?" Jesse asked, coming up behind her.

"Yes." she answered automatically. "I'm fine. Let's have some lunch."

"You looked like you've seen a ghost," Jesse said, taking the sunglasses out of her hand before she could do any lasting damage. "Are you sure you're ok?"

She breathed out slowly. "You know what? Maybe going out is not a good idea. Let's just stay here."

"Ok," Jesse drawled out slowly, still staring at her. "We can order room service. Anything you want. But just tell me what's bothering you."

There was more than one thing bothering her.

"I just saw Wilhelmina Slater ten minutes ago," Beca blurted out far too quickly.

But Jesse still heard her. Because he had that incredulous look on his face.

"What? Are you sure?" Jesse said, sounding a little shocked.

"Yes." Beca nodded.

Jesse was now frowning, rubbing his face with one hand. "This doesn't make sense. Willy was supposed to be attending a meeting in LA this week."

"She was not alone."

"Who was she with" Jesse asked in quick succession.

"Isabella Albericci. Editor-in-Chief for Italian RUNWAY," Beca answered. "And Nigel."

"Nigel? Cassie's Nigel?" Jesse replied.

Beca nodded shakily. Of course she recognised Isabella Albericci. Beca knew her stuff when she was Cassandra Harris' second PA. It was her job to know all the different Editor-in-Chiefs like Isabella. She also knew that Isabella and Cassandra hated each other. And what was Ngel doing there? He was a senior editor of US RUNWAY after all and many saw him as Cassie's right hand.

Jesse slipped his hand into his pocket for his phone. "I'm going to make a quick call. Do you still want to stay in?"

"Up to you," Beca stuttered out, still trying to collect herself but Jesse was already stepping away, phone glued to his ear.

* * *

They did go out much later.

They stayed in the room the whole day,lazing about and ordering room service when, out of the blue, Jesse said they should go out. He was adamant that they have to go to the Trevi fountain, even though she protested that it was late and she'd rather be in bed.

"Becaaaaa, you have to throw a coin into the fountain!" Jesse had cajoled. "That's the only way you'll going to come back to Rome."

"Of course." Beca had agreed. "It had nothing to do with scraping enough money for flights, getting some holiday time and actually wanting to come back here to Rome."

"Why would you NOT want to come back?" he had said, sounding confused and aghast. "Rome is fantastic! Aren't you enjoying yourself? Oh god, you are not enjoying yourself. Tell me why you are not enjoying yourself."

"Calm down, dude, and show me this fountain." Beca had replied to deflect his question.

The fountain was beautiful. And impressive. It was hard not to impress with a fountain that stood eighty-five feet high, with so much water cascading down. She could hear the water crashing down even when they were streets away. And when they turned the corner, the alley opened up into the piazza where the fountain was, Beca could not help but gasped. The stonework and sculptures looked even better at night, lit up in yellow light. It was still crowded though, even this late and Beca was about to turn away to walk to one side when Jesse linked his hand through hers and tugged her through the crowds until they were just in front of it.

"Now turn and stand like this," he said bossily, whirling her round so her back was to the fountain. "Toss a coin over your shoulder and make a wish."

Jesse pressed a coin into her hand and Beca raised an eyebrow.

"I thought the wish was to come back to Rome?" she commented, getting ready to toss the coin.

Jesse shrugged. "Make a wish anyway."

She did, shutting her eyes as she tossed the coin over the shoulder. She opened her eyes to find Jesse had his eyes clammed shut too and he was tossing a coin over his shoulder as well.

"What did you wish for, dude?" Beca teased.

Jesse merely shook his head. "Can't tell you. It might not come true. What did you wish for?"

"Oh. You think I'm going to tell?" Beca said. He was laughing, pulling her into his arms and they stood silently, him hugging her from the back, both of them staring at the fountain.

"Hey." Jesse whispered into her hair, almost too soft for her to hear. "I'm really glad you came."

Beca nodded. "Yeah, me too."

She was. These few days had been amazing. She was glad she had these few days with him. Because when they are back in New York, it will never be like this.

* * *

_**AN :** Thank you for reading. Lots happened. I hope it was not too confusing. I'm trying to move the plot along because yeah, this shmex fest does have a plot. Anything unclear, please tell me and I make it clearer. _


	21. Chapter 21

**AN : **_Hey, thank you so much for all the love. You guys are amazing and it really spurred me on to write more. I am really sorry the last two chapters were a little crappy. I was not totally happy with both of them. The pacing was wrong, I crammed too much in and really, I could have done better. So I've made minor tweaks to chapter 19 and rewrote Chapter 20 to include more Jeca fluff and interaction. This chapter starts with the bit where Aubrey corners Jesse in his office. I think it made more sense but tell me if I'm wrong._

* * *

**Chapter ****21**

**Back in New York**

Jesse checked his phone, going through his schedule quickly as the lift went up to his floor. It was going to be a busy day today. He had a few tough meetings with the senior directors, followed by a couple hours with George Harris Senior. A few brutal decisions would have to be made about H&amp;H's future that day. It was not going to be a nice day and Jesse should feel crappy. But strangely he was feeling rather buoyant. And happy.

Jesse felt happy.

He didn't quite know why. He had been feeling this way since Italy. He had a great time in Rome. He had a great time with Beca Mitchell in Rome. Jesse smiled at the thoughts that was going through his mind. Beca frightened and screaming expletives at him after that scooter ride. Beca digging into a plate of linguini, her face rapt as she slurped the slippery pasta. Beca's face under the glow of the yellow street light, so irresistible that he had to lean down and kiss her.

She was really something and he had a wonderful time.

And yeah, he was just happy.

Maybe all the sex was making him happy?

Jesse walked across the open plan office, nodding at the greetings around him before stopping at his PA's table. Amanda Tannen straightened up, showing her boobs to their best advantage as soon as she saw Jesse approaching.

"Morning, Amanda," Jesse breezily greeted his PA, still scrolling through his phone. "Can you get the notes for my first meeting and a coffee please?"

"Your notes are already on your table, Mr. Swanson. And I'll get you whatever you want," Amanda smiled flirtatiously up at him. It went over Jesse's head.

"Yeah. Ok, Thanks for that," Jesse said, distracted. There was someone in his office.

"Miss Posen is waiting for you," Amanda quickly informed him and he nodded, stepping into his office and closing the door behind him. At the sound of the door, Aubrey swivelled on the chair she was sitting to face him. She was in pink Chanel today, perfect make-up as always and not one blonde hair out of place.

"Morning, Bree." Jesse said, coming over.

"Good morning," Aubrey said, standing up and accepting the air kiss he planted on her cheek. "How have you been, Jesse?"

"Pretty good actually," Jesse replied back truthfully. He went round to the other side of the table, chucked his briefcase on the top and switched on his desk top. He then realised that Aubrey was sitting down, watching him speculatively and Jesse stopped short. "What's the matter, Aubrey? Is Cassie ok?"

Aubrey did not immediately reply. She narrowed her eyes slightly, her nostrils flaring a little before she answered, "You would know how she's feeling if you checked in on her more often."

"I've just got back from Italy," Jesse said defensively. "You know that, Aubrey."

Aubrey's silence was a little unnerving but Jesse kept quiet under her glacial stare.

"Yes. It was a lucky stroke that you saw Willy in Rome with Isabella and Nigel," Aubrey replied back blandly.

"Is it what I think it is?" Jesse said.

"Yes" Aubrey replied, examining her nails. "Some underhand coup. Isabella was trying to take over RUNWAY with Nigel's help. Willy was just instigating the whole thing. We took care of it. Both Isabella and Nigel will not work in this business again. But we could not do anything to Willy."

Jesse sighed. "Is Cassie going to be OK? She doesn't need this kind of shit."

"No, she doesn't," Aubrey agreed. She was looking directly at him now, her gaze unwavering. "Cassie's due back from the doctor's today."

"Today?" Jesse asked.

"Yes." Aubrey confirmed. "I've put down all the dates in your diary, Jesse. She'll need you afterwards."

"Yes, of course," Jesse replied. "I'll stay over her place tonight."

That seemed to satisfy Aubrey because she was now standing up, straightening up the wrinkle in her Chanel skirt. "One more thing, Jesse - " Aubrey continued. "Willy is not going to be happy her scheme with Isabella and Nigel didn't work. Knowing her, she will have a back-up plan."

Aubrey was about to continue when there was a knock on the door and Amanda bustled in with Jesse's coffee. She placed it carefully on the table in front of him. "Do you need anything else, Mr. Swanson?" Amanda said a little breathy, bosom heaving, tip of tongue licking her lower lip.

"No. I'll call you if I need anything," Jesse said dismissively and Amanda tottered out on her vertiginous heels, hips swaying enticingly

Aubrey waited until the door was shut before speaking up. "As I was saying, Wilhelmina will have a back-up plan. Anything to put either MODE or herself in a stronger position. She's been oddly silent these few days, which leads us to think she is up to her neck in something."

"Maybe she's just given up," Jesse said.

Aubrey answered with a light laugh before leaning forward in the pretence of pulling a stray thread on her skirt.

"Willy will never give up, Jesse," Aubrey said, her tone turning hard and vehement. "She's a power hungry bitch who would stop at nothing to win. She nearly staged a coup at RUNWAY. I don't know what else that bitch would have in mind. Nothing would give Wilhelmina Slater more joy than to crush and hurt Cassie in the process. Don't you care about Cassie at all?"

"You know I care about Cassie," Jesse replied back, feeling more than a little annoyed.

"Then do something!" Aubrey hissed. "Find out what Willy's up to. I've seen her diary and she's been having secret meetings at a very exclusive medical facility just out of New York. I've also looked at her phone log and there is this mysterious number she's been ringing that somehow belonged to Fey Sommers. Fey Sommers is dead!"

Jesse blinked at the latest news. "What do you want me to do?"

Aubrey straightened up, smiling, and nodded meaningfully to one side. Jesse turned his gaze towards where she was nodding. Towards the glass partition between his office and Amanda Tannen's desk right outside.

* * *

**Later on that evening**

As promised, He has gone over to Cassie's, letting himself into the apartment with his key. "Cassie?" Jesse called out. The apartment was dark and a little cold. Jesse took of his coat, hanging it in the closet before heading into the living room. "Cassie?"

"In here."

She was sitting in a big pile of blankets on the sofa, watching some documentary on the TV and for a moment, Jesse was nearly overcomed with shock at how pale and ill she looked. Cassie had no make-up on, her hair scraped back into a ponytail. She was smiling tremulously at him, her face glad he was here.

"Hey," Jesse said, coming over to the sofa, giving her a peck on her cheek. "You look great, baby. How're you feeling?"

"Liar," Cassie scoffed. "I look dreadful."

She scooted over and Jesse went underneath the pile of blankets and cuddled her. She sighed before resting her head on his shoulder. Jesse felt how thin she was under the pyjamas she was wearing and immediately felt so guilty.

"The appointment went ok?" Jesse asked, hugging her closer. "How are you bearing up?"

"I'll be fine," Cassie replied.

Jesse nodded, knowing he should not fuss. Cassie hated fuss. But he could not ignore how bad it was for her. "Maybe we should just forget the whole thing, Cassie," he ventured tentatively. "It's taking its toll on you. Maybe we should look at other options."

Cassie was already shaking her head. "No. You know how important this is. Not only to me but to Uncle George too."

He knew. He knew how important this was and that made Jesse buttoned down any other misgivings he had. He also knew he had been neglecting Cassie lately. "I've not been checking in with you lately. I'm sorry."

"Aubrey said you've been busy," Cassie replied. "What's happening with you?"

Jesse frowned at her comment. "Just work. Nothing much."

"Why do I get this feeling you are hiding something from me?" Cassie said, her eyes narrowing a little. A joke smile was playing on her lips and Jesse smiled back, shaking his head.

"You're getting suspicious in your old age, Cass," he replied glibly. I've just got lots on my mind. The meetings today were brutal." That worked. He could see Cassie was already thinking about work.

"So what's the Board's decision?" she asked, straightening up.

"We are selling off the lesser titles. We have too," Jesse replied. "H&amp;H can't afford to have non-profits under its belt. We are looking at the foreign lists too and some of H&amp;H assets can be liquidated."

"That bad?" Cassie asked, sounding worried now.

"Not really," Jesse said. "Just trying to consolidate H&amp;H financial position for the future. Some of the other arms are just too flabby. We can't keep operating like this."

"What's the decision on MODE and RUNWAY?'

"Both titles are costing too much money, you know that," Jesse said slowly, not wanting to upset Cassie. "And it's not as if we can scale back the quality without anyone noticing."

"So either one of us will fold?" Cassie said, her eyes huge with worry.

"Or sold. Nothing had been decided yet," Jesse replied. "Uncle George was serious when he said he wanted to leave a healthy legacy for the future, Cassie."

"We just have to make sure it goes to the right hands," Cassie replied. "I am not having that bitch Willy get her claws on the whole thing." She was getting agitated, Jesse could tell. Her fists were clenching the blankets on her lap and Cassie looked up at Jesse, her eyes flashing. "You have to help me, Jesse."

"I know, " Jesse replied seriously. "I'm trying."

Cassie nodded slowly.

"Thank you," she said a small voice, burrowing closer to him. "You're my best friend, Jesse. I really can't do this without you."

* * *

**Monday, a week later**

Stacie Conrad had a gift.

One would think she had been blessed with many and they had helped her in her career. But Stacie knew she got where she was by sheer hard graft and determination. It had nothing to do with this special gift she had. Well, perhaps a little. It was always helpful to know certain things.

Stacie Conrad had this gift of knowing when someone had sex. And with whom.

So when Beca Mitchell plopped herself down on the sofa in The Closet, casually crossing her legs and reaching for the latest issue of Rolling Stones, Stacie narrowed her eyes speculatively. There was some changes to Beca lately. Changes that made red alarm bells rang in Stacie's head. For one, she had stopped wearing so much make-up; her usual heavy duty eyeliner now an elegant cat eye flick. No lipstick, just a touch of coloured gloss. Nothing that would rubbed off or need careful fixing. Hmm. She wasn't wearing perfume too. Usually Beca would spritzed on a little Chanel Allure but recently, she had smelled a little different. Like expensive aftershave. Acqua de Parma, which was interesting. But most tellingly...

"That's a nice dress," Stacie commented.

Beca who was oblivious to the scrutiny she was under, looked up and shrugged. "Something I found at the back of my wardrobe," Beca replied, going back to reading the magazine. "Gucci, three seasons ago, I think. Amy must have smuggled it out"

"You've been wearing lots of dresses and skirts lately," Stacie said, coming out from behind her desk. She went to a rack nearby, picking out a forest green dress and holding it out to Beca. "So..can you try this on for me, babe? I just want to be sure I've picked out the right accessories."

Beca sighed loudly, rolling her eyes. Stacie was always doing this; asking her girlfriends to try on some of the looks she created. It was nothing unusual. So Beca stood up, unzipped her dress and pulled it up. She had her dress halfway up her head when she heard Stacie shouting.

"I knew it! I knew it! You ARE fucking somebody."

Beca froze. Shit. Shit. Triple shit. She forgot. She totally forgot how Stacie seemed to have a sixth sense about these things. And she had just tricked Beca to revealing the pretty pair of bra and panties she was wearing, complete with matching garter belt and stockings. Beca just about able to keep whatever dignity she had by quickly pulling her dress back down but it was too late. Stacie was already bearing down her, squealing. "Tell me everything!"

"There's nothing to tell. Umm...it's just a hook up," Beca tried to cover her embarrassment.

"Nu uh. Don't even try that on me," Stacie insisted. "The lingerie says otherwise. You've been fucking this guy regularly. Who is it?"

"No one you know," Beca quickly answered.

"Oh? We are playing this game, huh?" Stacie said. "Hmm. You've been wearing a lot of skirts and dresses. For easy access obvs. Which means quickies...which means...it's someone at work. NO!"

Beca was a little taken aback by Stacie's yell. Even more so when Stacie came up to her and started to shake her. "Please tell me you are not fucking Daniel Meade," Stacie begged. "Oh my god, Beca! Does Chloe know you're fucking Daniel Meade?"

"Stacie, chill out!" Beca exclaimed. "I promise I am not fucking Daniel Meade!"

"On Snowball's life?" Stacie said. "And puppies?"

"Yes! On puppies," Beca nearly wailed. "Now, for god's sake, let me go."

Stacie did and Beca rubbed her upper arms. Damn, that girl had a strong grip.

"You sure you're not fucking Daniel Meade?" Stacie asked again.

"Stacie, I would know, right?" Beca answered. "No, it's not Daniel. Although that fuckface had been calling me so many times lately and leaving me all sorts of messages. How did he even get my number?"

"Who is it then?" Stacie questioned. "Come on, spill!"

Beca's mouth fell open and then she shut her mouth, shaking her head. "I can't tell you. It's just some sex buddy thing," she said instead. "It's going to be over soon. And it won't matter."

Stacie stared at the expression on Beca's face, seeing that slight twist to her mouth before she slipped on that cool Beca Mitchell IDGAF look.

"Whoa whoa. Let's slow it down a notch," Stacie said carefully. "You have a regular sex buddy and it's someone from work?" Beca nodded slightly, sitting down and reaching for that Rolling Stone magazine again. "Looks like the arrangement is working because damn girl, I haven't seen you this hot and for a while." Stacie continued. "You guys agreed the limits?"

"Yes, we made it clear it's sex only. No strings attached."

"But you are saying it's going to be over soon?" Stacie frowned. "Why is that? Has the sex gone bad?"

"No. The sex's good," Beca replied, irritably shuffling the pages of the magazine she was holding. "The sex's amazing. Best I've ever had." She shut the magazine and forcefully threw it aside.

"What's the problem, Beca?" Stacie asked quietly.

Beca turned to face Stacie, her mouth set on a grim line. "What do you think?"

Stacie's eyes widened in surprise."Oh god no. Becaaaa..." They were interrupted by Beca's phone buzzing. Stacie needn't ask. She knew it was the hook-up. Stacie watched Beca's face as she read the message and typed a reply back. "Are you going to be ok?" she asked.

"Yeah," Beca answered as she slid the phone back into her bag. "Mama got this shit handled."

* * *

Jesse tapped his pen restlessly against his desk. The sound seemed to echo all these thoughts richocheting around his head. He felt agitated and he did not quite know how to deal wit it. He tossed the pen down and stood up to look out of the window. Maybe staring out of this window at the traffic below may calm him down. The roads below was already snarling with the evening traffic and even from this high floor, Jesse could hear the irritated honking and sirens wailing. It did nothing to calm his mind down. His thoughts were cut short with the buzz coming from his phone. Jesse glanced at the reply from Beca to his earlier email.

"_Not free Thurs. Got a gig to review." _

Jesse pocketed his phone, staring moodily out of the window. That was disappointing. He had not seen her for days. And frankly, after spending a whole week just with her in Rome, Jesse was having bad withdrawals. She was super busy, she said but Jesse had this niggling feeling that she was avoiding him. That threw him a little. He thought they had amazing time in Rome.

God, she was like a drug.

That was the only way he could explain why he wanted to be with her like all the time. Why he wanted nothing more than go downstairs to her office and grab her right now; he didn't care how super busy she was. It was not just the sex he was missing though. He really missed talking to her, arguing with her, finding out what she thinks. Beca Mitchell had this knack of not taking shit from him. She had opinions and thinks he's a weirdo with a movie fetish and bad taste in music. He could be himself around her. And despite all her hard exterior, she could be so sweet, so soft, so caring. All Jesse wanted sometimes was to spend hours just lying on her lap with her hand in his hair.

What the hell was she doing to him?

Jesse grunted out in despair. He could not work it out. They were supposed to do this sex buddy thing for a few months. He had been pretty sure both of them will find it was not working, after some time. Either that or this whole sex attraction would fizzle out.

But no, it was still just as amazing.

So so amazing.

So fucking amazing he forgot what he was here for, what he was supposed to do.

He played back in his mind the conversation he had with Aubrey a few days ago. There was no doubt what Aubrey was asking him to do. She had made it perfectly clear. In any other circumstances, it would not be a problem. Heck, he might have enjoyed it. Ask him to sleep with a hot girl like Amanda Tannen six months ago and Jesse Swanson would not have any problem. But now...

Jesse grimaced and rested his forehead on the cool glass. For a moment, he shut his eyes, trying to sort out his thoughts. He had been trying to avoid making a decision about this for days. Why the hell was he hesitating? It was for Cassie, after all. The only person he would do anything for. And hell, it was not as if Amanda hadn't drop enough hints how available she is if Jesse wanted her that way.

Except he didn't.

He didn't want to sleep with Amanda Tannen.

Or anybody else for that matter.

Jesse turned round and his gaze fell on that glass partition between his office and Amanda Tannen's desk outside. She was on the phone, no doubt gossiping with Marc St. James, that indecently short skirt riding up her thighs, red heels on her feet. He sat down at his desk, rubbing his mouth with his hand, thinking. His restless hand picked up that pen and started to tap it against the desk again. _This is stupid. - _Jesse thought. The pen was thrown aside and he pressed the buzzer.

"Amanda, can you bring in those Girton reports, please?"

"Right away, Mr. Swanson!" came the chirpy reply. He had to wait for a good fifteen minutes while she rooted around trying to find the reports. Amanda bustled in, arms full of files and when she was in front of his desk, the files fell out of her arms "accidentally".

"Oops! I'm so sorry," Amanda squeaked, not sounding apologetic at all. She leaned forward quickly gathering the files, giving Jesse an eyeful of her cleavage in that low cut blouse. Jesse looked away, tugging at his collar a little uncomfortably.

"I've re-arranged the reports just like you wanted," Amanda said in her breathy voice. She came round to Jesse's side of the desk, bending over him and opening the top file. "Here, let me show you." She was cringingly close, almost on top of him and when she flipped through the papers, her boobs were brushing against Jesse's arm.

"Thank you. I can manage this," Jesse said a little coldly, shifting away.

"Anything else you want, Mr. Swanson?" Amanda asked, her voice husky.

"Not at the moment," Jesse said, keeping his eyes on the file in front of him. "I'll call you if I need anything."

Amanda pouted a little. She straightened up, pulling her skirt down. Jesse was already absorbed in reading those boring reports and with a barely concealed huff, Amanda walked towards the door to leave her boss alone. Inwardly, she was fuming. What was wrong with him? She had worn her tightest, sexiest top on today this side of decent and a short, short skirt today but he hardly noticed. She had nearly laid herself flat on his desk, begging him to take her. She had employed every seduction trick in her bag and yet Jesse Swanson did not make any move. Not many red-blooded men can refuse Amanda Tannen when she get her flirt on.

Maybe he's gay? That could be the only probable explanation. Unless, of course, he was really seriously committed to Cassandra Harris? But that could not be. Not if the rumours were true. So he MUST be gay. In which case, they should send Marc.

"Amanda?"

Amanda turned round at Jesse's call, re-arranging the pissed off look on her face to something more neutral. Ugh. He probably want another coffee. Or some stupid report which means she would have to scramble round the dusty filing room and ruin her carefully chosen outfit.

"Yes, Mr. Swanson?" she replied. Jesse was staring at her with his dark eyes and for a moment, Amanda was 100% certain she was in trouble.

"Just want to say good work on the Rochdale deal," Jesse said instead. "Thank you for getting those figures so quickly."

"My pleasure. Mr. Swanson," Amanda replied, smiling flirtatiously.

"Umm..we are celebrating with some drinks on Thursday," Jesse was now saying. "So ..if you are not doing anything, I'll love for you to come."

Amanda's hand fiddled with her neckline before it came to rest right above her right breast. She saw Jesse's eyes following her hand before he looked up and smiled at her.

"Thursday?" Amanda asked.

"Thursday." he confirmed.

Amanda shrugged , knowing her breasts will be flexing with the movement.

"I'll check my diary."

* * *

**Thursday**

That must be one of the worst gigs she had ever seen.

Beca shook her head wearily, slipping her phone back into her pocket. She was not going to bother making any more notes. She had heard enough and frankly, the band sucked. Style over substance and the lead singer was an idiot. She wanted to leave earlier but Beca was professional enough to stay for an interview as promised to the promoter. She could hardly get any good answers to her questions and Beca was convinced they were high on something. And then one of the band member had hit on her, like she was some groupie and it took all of Beca's good manners not to throw something at him.

It was still relatively early when she finally extricated herself from that painful interview and she was at a lost on what to do. She could go home, of course and hang out with Chloe or perhaps, go over to Amy's and Stacie's. Only she knew the girls were probably all gossiping about her with each other, swapping theories on who was this mysterious fuck buddy that had managed to mess her head up. Beca was not in the mood to be inquisitioned tonight.

Yeah. She was slightly messed up about Jesse.

When did it happened? When did she crossed the line to being ok with just this fuck-buddy situation to wanting perhaps slightly more? Beca shook her head like she was trying to shake the jumble of thoughts in her mind. No, she had thought long and hard about this. Did she really want more? Perhaps it was just some residual effects of spending a week in Italy with him? Spending 24 hours, 7 days a week in close proximity with Jesse, like a loved up couple, must have had messed up her mind a little. Maybe that was it. It was not like she was in love with him or something. Right?

She missed him a little though.

Jesse had been trying to arrange to meet up and she had said no. She had been avoiding him these past week. She needed that space to work out what the hell her head was doing. But now walking the streets alone, passing happy couples hand in hand, Beca found herself missing that nerd. A lot.

_He'll be home at this hour_ \- Beca thought and she headed to his apartment. She had been there often enough that the doorman let her in with a smile. Beca stopped in front of his apartment door and considered it for a second. She reached into her bag, taking out the compact mirror and Becare- applied her coloured lip gloss and pinched her cheeks.

Then she knocked on the door.

There was no answer and for a moment, she though perhaps Jesse was out. Except she could hear faint music from inside. She knocked again, calling out in jest, "Emergency Plumber!" She remembered Jesse using that lame "My apartment's flooded" excuse when they bumped into each other at the coffee shop after their respective one night stands. Honestly, the lamest excuse ever.

Beca was still grinning at the memory when the door cracked open and Jesse was peeking through.

"Hey," Beca said in greeting, smiling up at him, her eyes crinkling at the corner.

Jesse seemed to be frozen on the spot, staring at her like she was a ghost.

"Beca," Jesse stuttered, making no move to open the door and let her in. OK, nerd was acting weirder than usual. Beca kept her smile intact although she was having this strange, twisting feeling in her belly that told her something was not quite right.

"How are you, nerd?" she said lightly. "Not expecting to see me, huh?"

"You said you were busy tonight." Jesse answered. Beca pushed the door a little and after a moment's hesitation, Jesse opened it wider and she walked in.

"The gig was dire. The interview's even worse," Beca said, reaching up to loosen her hair from her bun and letting the wavy brown locks cascade down her back. "I got bored so I bailed." She turned around to find Jesse still standing by the doorway. Beca narrowed her eyes. He was standing awkwardly, looking quite ill at ease. "Is something wrong?" she asked bluntly.

That seemed to shook him out of his thoughts.

"No. Nothing's wrong," Jesse answered. He took a quick glance towards his bedroom before striding over to where she was. "I was just not expecting you."

"I should have rang," Beca apologised. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I'm glad you are here," he whispered, taking her face into his hands. "Now c'mere."

At the touch of his lips, Beca began to relax. She was being paranoid. Everything was perfect. It always was when he kissed her like this. The tip of his tongue gently pried the seam of her lips and Beca let him deepened the kiss, her arms now winding round his neck, drawing him closer.

She thought she heard a noise.

Beca broke the kiss. "Is there someone else here?"

"Hmm? What?" Jesse mumbled, still trying to kiss her mouth again.

"Someone's here."

Beca was trying to untangle herself from his arms.

"Beca," Jesse started, trying to pull her back in his arms. She was not having any of it. Beca stepped away, avoiding his hands, her eyes now scanning round the living room. The usual work mess - his laptop and notes on the coffee table, his jacket and tie slung onto a chair.

Then she clocked it.

The soft music playing. The two flutes of champagne, one clearly with a lipstick stain.

The knee length fur coat.

And she couldn't breathe.

"Beca, let me explain." Jesse was coming up to her, his hand on her arm. His touch seemed to burn and Beca came out of her stupor. She jerked her arm away. The bedroom. He was glancing guiltily at the bedroom just now. Beca was there in seconds. Jesse was calling out to her but she did not hear him. She threw the door open and then she saw it.

Amanda Tannen lying on her front, across his bed with nothing but her panties and her high heels on.

She turned towards the door, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Hey sweetie..," Amanda purred. "I'm ready for you." She looked a little surprised at Beca bursting into the room. "Oh!" was all she said in surprise before her mouth quirked into a salacious smile. "Hey Beca!"

* * *

_AN : Don't kill me, please_


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Beca stood motionless at the doorway, staring at the very naked Amanda Tannen lying on her front on Jesse's bed. She was smiling up to Beca, flipping her blonde hair over her should. Jesse was right behind her now.

"Amanda! What are you doing?" Jesse yelled out. On hearing Jesse's shocked voice, Beca was roused from her daze.

_He dared to sound surprised_ – she thought bitterly - _someone give that boy an Oscar._

"Sorry. I let you get back to it," Beca managed to mumble out, backing away. She bumped straight into him and Jesse was trying to catch hold of her.

"Beca, it's not how it looks," Jesse's words were tumbling out frantically as his hands held her arms. "Amanda had a huge stain on her dress and had to use the bathroom. It's not... It's not what you think."

"Baby, what are you saying?" Amanda laughed, rolling over and sitting up on the bed. "You were the one all over me just now."

Beca struggled against his hold. "Let me go," she said through gritted teeth.

"Beca, she's drunk. She's - " Jesse was saying now, still holding her tight.

"Mmmm. That hard on was really nice," Amanda purred. "Can't wait to see it."

Beca's stare was bone chilling.

"You heard the lady. She wants to see your dick," she said coldly. "You should obliged."

"Beca, please..." Jesse begged.

"I'm up for a threesome!" Amanda giggled. "Just so you know."

Beca prised her arms away from his hands and blindly pushed him away. She needed some air. She really need to get away from here. Again, he was calling out to her like a broken record. Then Beca heard him raising his voice, telling Amanda to get dressed and something else but she could not be bothered any more. Beca hurried out of the door, slamming it behind her. The elevator was still on the floor and she went in. She could hear him along the corridor, still calling out to her and Beca quickly jabbed the buttons. The door closed with him just a few steps away.

_I am not upset. I am not upset. I am not fucking upset._

Beca repeated the words over and over. And by the time, the elevator reached the ground floor, she was calmly walking through the door onto the street. She was fine. It was just sex and they were not a thing. She should not be upset. He could fuck anyone he wants. She was the stupid one to turn up unannounced like this. Like some fucking girlfriend who had a monopoly over him. Now if only a taxi would fucking stop. If the next taxi did not stop, she would definitely break down and cry.

"Beca." Jesse was running up to her, sweating profusely and panting. He had probably taken the stairs, racing the lift down. Beca looked away. A taxi had stopped next to her and Beca wrenched the door open. Jesse was right in front of her now and his hand held fast onto the taxi's door. "Please don't leave. We need to talk."

Beca stood frozen, unsure what she should do.

"Beca, please let me explain," Jesse panted. "It's not what you think. We were having celebratory drinks at the bar. Amanda was there and she got really drunk really quickly. She was upset with the spill on her dress." He was trying so hard to spill everything quickly before Beca got away.

"A spill on her dress?" Beca scoffed. "Isn't that your standard M.O., Mr. Swanson?"

"I didn't spill it," Jesse answered quickly. "She must have spilled a whole jug of Bloody Mary on her. She was hysterical and asked to use my bathroom."

"There's none at the bar?" Beca said, raising her voice. "And MODE is like what? Five minutes away? You have to bring her all the way back to your place?"

Jesse was taken aback at her verbal assault. Beca realised she was yelling and she turned away, clamping her mouth shut. She shouldn't be yelling. He could bring anyone he likes home. They were not a thing.

"I knew it was a mistake, ok?" Jesse said. "When she tried kissing me, I knew it was a mistake. Nothing happened. She was supposed to clean up in the bathroom and leave. I didn't know she will end up naked on the bed like that. All I'm saying is I didn't bring her back to screw her. She was really drunk and I just... I just wanted to help. Please believe me."

"Oi lady! Are you getting in or what?" the taxi driver called out.

"No, she's not," Jesse said back to the driver, catching hold of Beca's hand and trying to shut the door. Beca wrenched her hand free.

"You're a fucking liar, Jesse Swanson," Beca said quietly, shaking her head slowly.

"I'm not lying to you, Becs," Jesse said. "I could never lie to you."

Beca took a deep, deep breath.

"If I had not turn up... " she said. "And you found her naked on your bed like that, would you fuck her?"

Jesse hesitated for a little too long. "Beca..."

"No, it's fine," Beca said, nodding slowly. Her chest felt like it frozen over. "I think your answer is pretty clear."

He stepped closer, reaching out for her. And she skirted away, getting into the taxi and slamming the door shut. The taxi revved up and peeled off the pavement and Jesse was left with an image of Beca, face deadly white and sitting stiff on the back seat. It was only then that Jesse Swanson realised two terrible, terrible things.

One, Amanda had seen Beca in his apartment.

And two, Jesse finally realised, with absolute and stunning clarity, without any shadow of doubt, that he, Jesse Swanson was deeply and desperately in love with Beca Mitchell.

* * *

**A few days later**

Beca wished she could stay away from work for a couple more days.

She had used a sick day and some pretense about working from home to finish her articles. Noah had been pretty understanding but Beca did not want to push it. So here she was outside the H&amp;H building, with coffee in her hand, dressed in her tight, skinny jeans that made her ass looked fabulous and a top that made her boobs looked fuckable. Because hell no, she would walk into work today looking the worse for wear and like she cried the whole night; even though she did.

Beca took a sip from her hot cup of coffee and walked through the doors into H&amp;H.

This whole situation with Jesse Swanson was so messed up. Why did she even cry, for fuck's sake? Yes, she was angry and hurt. But why? They were not a thing. They only had fun together. It was not as if they were in a relationship. Why did it bothered her so much that he might be fucking someone else, most of all, Amanda Tannen? It was not as if he was single. He was already in a firm relationship with Cassandra Harris. Oh God. See? See how fucked up this was.

Beca walked into Decibel's office, decidedly moody. She was oblivious to the rather somber air in the office until she noticed Tina, the receptionist, sniffling loudly, looking like she just had a huge cry. "Tina, you ok?" Beca spoke up, more than a little concerned now. She was about to get up and walk over to her when Noah came out of his office.

"Beca, I didn't hear you come in," Noah said gravely. "Could you pop in here for a minute, please?"

Ok, this was strange.

Once she was in Noah's office, Beca could not wait any longer. "What's happening, Noah? Why is Tina crying? And where's Jim?" Noah took some time to go over to his seat. He sat down heavily, seeming to struggle with what he wanted to say. Beca was on tenterhooks.

"Jim went home. He was a little upset," Noah said.

"What the hell is happening?" Beca asked impatiently.

Noah took of his glasses, polishing them slowly before putting them back on. "This should not come as a surprise to you," he begun. "I mean, you know our numbers are way down. We've been cutting back staff. I think you knew this was coming."

Beca had an inkling. "They are closing us down, aren't they?"

Noah nodded slowly. Beca released a heavy sigh, slumping back into her chair. She should have known. Circulation had been way down. The articles were kinda meh lately and they were struggling to get interest. Their anniversary issue did great and Beca and the other editors were working so hard to have more of an online presence. The pitch at the Board of Directors went so well. But perhaps it was too little too late. Still Beca could not believe it. Fifty years and it had to end like this.

"They are going through a consultation process. You'll get your papers," Noah was saying now. Beca shook her head, still too stunned to say anything. "I think they'll offer everyone a place at the other magazines. If not, I'm happy to give you a good recommendation."

"I can't believe they are shutting us down," Beca croaked out.

"They might get a buyer. In which case, the whole team can stay," Noah replied.

"No, it won't be the same," Beca said, looking down at her shaking hands. She rose out of her chair. "Thank you, Noah."

"Will you be ok, Beca?" Noah asked worriedly looking at her. "Do you want the rest of the day off?"

Beca was standing still, a thoughtful look on her face. She seemed to shook herself and then looked grimly at Noah. "I'm going to be fine. I just..I just need to go for a walk."

* * *

That bastard!

That fucking, lying bastard!

She knew Jesse Swanson, that lying fuckboy, would have something to do with this. That motherfucking, lying, can't keep it in his pants bastard! She was so, so stupid. She should have known about this. She had seen something about this. Beca Mitchell was not a nosy person. The times they spent together, they never talked shop. He did not talk about work. He would listen to her griping about Decibel but Jesse Swanson would never talk about his work.

Beca remembered the times she spent at his apartment and he would be working. There was once she had went over to him while he sat shirtless on the sofa, working his laptop. She had snuggled into him and Jesse had looked at her, smiling and pulled her closer. Her head was on his lap and Beca looked up at his smiling face. He had played with her hair and then leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead before going back to his work.

She had turned her head slightly to look at the screen and read snatches of the report he was reading. It looked confidential. Not something she should see. Something to do with consolidating H&amp;H finances and assets. Beca's eyes ran down the recommendations; one of which was to sell unprofitable titles.

"Jesse, what's this about?" she had asked, her head rising out of his lap. Jesse had quickly closed down the window.

"Nothing, babe," he had replied, pushing his laptop shut.

"No, I want to see that," Beca had insisted. She tried getting up to open his laptop and he had stopped her.

"No, Beca. Don't." There was an edge to his voice that had made her stop. Beca was surprised at the serious look on his face and she immediately removed her hand. "It's not something you should see," Jesse continued.

"OK," she had replied, feeling chastised.

He had stared at her, like he wanted to say something but then Jesse had just sighed and drew her nearer, kissing her senseless. And like a fool she was, she had forgotten about what she had seen, too horny, too fucking turned on at the way he was kissing her. Stupid, stupid Beca. She should have fucking known.

Yet what? What if she had? Beca let out a frustrated sigh. It was not as if she had some power to stop this fucking shit from happening. She had walked round the block to calm down and was now back at the lift lobby. Her head was pounding now. Maybe she should just take her things and go home just like Noah suggested. So deep was she in her funk, as soon as the doors opened and the crowd behind her propelling along, Beca walked into the lift unseeing.

And she walked into him.

"Beca."

If his voice did not jolt her out of her funk, his hand on her arm certainly did. Beca looked up in surprise, a little too stunned. Jesse looked similarly surprised. Thank goodness there were lots of people in that lift. Beca just roughly pulled her arm away, moving towards the rear.

Jesse stood, stock still by the buttons. Every fibre of his being was screaming at him to turn around, to go to her, to corner her down. Because she had been avoiding him for the last few days. Despite all the calls, all the messages he had left. He knew those wouldn't work. He knew she would not answer or call him back. But he was his wit's end. It was not as if he could walk into her office and demanded she listened to him, without everyone in the building finding out what was happening between then.

And then he had to deliver that cruel, cruel news to Noah about Decibel. She would have found out by now and Jesse Swanson guessed correctly that perhaps at this very moment, Beca Mitchell hated him. Hate, hate, hate him.

The crowd in the lift thinned out as the lift rose up the building. They were on the fourth floor when the last person between the two of them stood in front of the doors, ready to get out.

The lift pinged open.

When Beca saw who was waiting outside, she wanted to shut her eyes and disappear. This day could not get any worse. Of all the people who could be here at this point in time, it had to be Daniel Meade.

"Bec, what are you doing here?" Daniel exclaimed, smiling widely. He let the other person walked out of the lift before stepping in, giving Jesse a cursory nod. "Hey Jesse."

Jesse just nodded perfunctorily, standing close to the buttons. "Top floor?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," Daniel replied as Jesse pressed the buttons. Daniel moved towards the rear, standing next to Beca. As soon as the doors closed, he turned towards her, all sweet smiles and soft eyes. "Hi Bec."

Beca crossed her arms over her chest and stared stonily in front of her, refusing to look at him. He was standing far to close, almost crowding her into the corner.

"Can't you even say hi to me, Bec?" Daniel said softly.

She intended to ignore him. She really didn't need this right now. But this fucking lift was moving far too slowly and she was trapped.

"What do you want, Daniel?" Beca hissed out. Why was her luck so fucking terrible? To be told she would be laid off, to be in the same lift as that fucking bastard Jesse Swanson and asshat Daniel Meade.

"Just a chance to talk to you," Daniel replied. He glanced at Jesse whose back was towards them and continued, in a lower tone. "Why didn't you return my calls?"

"I really don't have anything to say to you," Beca answered back, still in sotto voce. Her phone had been ringing off the hook the last few days and she had just switched it off, too exhausted to deal with all this shit. She glanced up to look at the rising numbers on the panel, willing the lift to move faster.

"Becky..." Daniel murmured in a conciliatory tone, his hand landing on her arm. "I just want explain a few things, ok? Can we go out for dinner? At that Italian place you like?"

"No."

"One dinner, that's all I'm asking," Daniel wheedled further, his hand stroking her arm. "I just need you to hear me out, ok? And if you want nothing to do with me after that, I'll leave you alone. I promise."

"Why the hell are you doing this now, Daniel?" Beca hissed back, trying to pull her arm free.

"I really missed you," he answered back softly. "I've been so stupid, Bec. I've got to try again with you, or I won't be able to live with myself. So what do you say?"

Beca was silent. Mercifully, the lift was finally at her stop. She shrugged Daniel's hand off, scowling up at him and Daniel merely smirked triumphantly before letting her go. Beca strode out of the lift and both men watched her walked away.

Jesse willed his feet to move. He should go after her. He couldn't bear the thought that she was angry with him, that she was not speaking to him. He must have hurt her somehow and fuck, he felt so terrible right now. He just wanted to hold her tight and kiss her and..

"There goes the finest ass I've ever had."

It took a few moments for those words to sink in. Jesse turned to find Daniel smirking towards the door, which had now closed.

"Excuse me?" Jesse said, incredulous. _What did __Daniel Meade__ just said?_

_"__Beca Mitchell. Finest ass I've ever had,_" Daniel said, shoving his hands into his pockets, smiling a little wickedly. "Don't be put off by all that attitude. That girl is a hell cat in bed. But she knows how to beg for it, if you get what I mean."

"I'm not sure I follow you," Jesse replied with an edge to his voice.

Jesse's offended tone totally flew over Daniel's head. He was chuckling now, a sound that grated so much Jesse's nerve. He slapped Jesse on his back. "Bro, I've had quite a few. Trust me. Nothing's like her. Did you check out that rack? And that ass? I've had that ass many times over and hell, it's a sweet piece of ass. And her mouth? Man, she's got that kind of mouth you'll wanna fuck every day."

This was where Jesse threw the punch. This was where he broke this fucker's nose. This was where he beat him to a pulp for saying all these stupid things about Beca. But Jesse just stared at Daniel Meade, who was laughing this dirty little laugh, feeling far too shocked and speechless. He had been aware how cosy they both were at the corner of the lift just now. He had his back to them, fuming at the muted reflection of Beca and Daniel on the lift's door. Daniel was practically on top of her and they were whispering to each other. Jesse didn't missed how distressed she sounded and frankly, he was about to turn round and haul Daniel off when the lift doors opened.

"From where I'm standing, she didn't seem that into you," Jesse replied. He couldn't quite keep that snide jibe out of his voice.

That stopped that stupid, dirty laugh.

Daniel looked thoughtful for a minute before answering back. "Yeah, she's mad at me. We had a huge fight and broke up."

"Is that what happen?" Jesse answered back blandly.

Daniel just shrugged. "Maybe. I dunno. But that's all in the past. Wouldn't mind having her back. The sex's out of this world and she's pretty fun."

No. If Jesse had his way, Daniel will not be within 100 yards from her. His hands were balling into fists and Jesse quickly shoved his hands into his pockets or help him, he'll going to punch that prick right here, right now.

"You might have your work cut out for you, dude," Jesse replied. "She doesn't look the forgiving type."

"Eh," Daniel shrugged. "I had her once. I'll have her again. From what I've heard, she's not been seeing anyone since we broke up. She'll be easy."

The lift dinged loudly and the doors slid opened. Both of them walked out of the lift in silence. Jesse didn't knew what drove him to ask. "You guys were together? How long for?"

Daniel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Two years? Maybe a bit less. I can't remember," he answered casually. He shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. "You know what? If she hadn't pulled that lame trick to make me marry her, we would still be together. She's something else."

"What lame trick?" Jesse's throat felt dry and the words came out a little garbled. He felt a little sick in his stomach as the thought of Daniel touching her, let alone being with her for two years.

"Hmm?" Daniel responded, turning his head slightly in Jesse's direction. "Oh. Just the usual. Oldest trick in the book."

"What is it?" Jesse croaked.

"Oh, you know... the _"I'm pregnant and you're the dad"_ trick," Daniel replied far too casually. Jesse halted in his tracks. Daniel was still talking. "And the whole "_mysterious miscarriage_" when you don't fall for it?"

He used air quotes.

Daniel noticed Jesse had stopped and turned towards him. He mistook the total look of horror on Jesse's face and then he laughed knowingly. "Yeah, I know. Pretty lame, right?"

* * *

He could not concentrate in this meeting. Jesse doodled on his pad, trying to focus back to what the other directors were saying round the table. It did not make sense because his mind was elsewhere. He really didn't want to be here.

"This seems to be shaping up pretty well." The general murmur went through the directors attending the meeting. George Harris Senior peered over the folder towards Jesse, who seemed to be elsewhere. "How are negotiations going with the buyers, Jesse?"

Jesse snapped back to the present.

"Umm... yes, pretty well actually," he replied. "We have offers on the table for most of the titles we want to sell. Just a few left which we are stilling sussing out the interest." He needn't look down at his notes. He knew which titles were still unsold.

"This is very interesting," Daniel Meade spoke up, poring over the list in front of him. "No interest for Decibel yet?"

Jesse irritably glanced at Daniel Meade, sitting across him.

"Interested, Daniel?" George Harris Snr. was now saying.

"Perhaps. I need to speak to my mother as head of Meade Holdings," Daniel replied. "She was looking at expanding her side of business and perhaps, I don't know... she might be interested. Decibel might be a good investment."

Jesse immediately stood up and everyone at the table was staring at him in surprise.

"I'm sorry. I have to be somewhere right now," Jesse said. He looked apologetically at George who nodded, giving him permission to leave. He was out of the door and into the lift in minutes, impatiently stabbing the buttons to hurry the lift down.

He could not stand it. He could not stand being in the same room as that colossus prick, Daniel Meade. And now he was talking about buying over Decibel? That stupid fucking bastard, born into money. He's going to get his mommy to buy him Decibel and who knows what stupid move he's going to make on Beca.

That was not the most upsetting thing.

Daniel's words were still ringing in Jesse's head. Over and over. Which was why he was now at Decibel's office, trying to find Beca Mitchell. She was not there. She went home for the day, he was told but Jesse did not believe one word. Some sixth sense was telling him she was still around.

Jesse nearly ran all the way down to the Closet. And seeing Fat Amy looking up at him curiously as she sat on the large sofa, Jesse knew he was on the right track. "Well, well, what do we have here?" Amy murmured, flipping the magazine she had on her lap shut. "Are you lost, Mr. Swanson?"

Jesse cleared his throat and tried to speak without shaking. "Is Beca around? I need to speak to her."

Amy's head was cocked to one side as she processed Jesse's question. She then turned and hollered out. "Stacie, someone's here for Beca."

Stacie came round the corner from where the dressing rooms were and stood with her arms crossed. She was staring at Jesse, one eyebrow quirked up. "Hmm. Looking for Beca?"

"Yes." Jesse replied, meeting Stacie's unnerving stare.

Stacie shrugged. "We haven't seen her all day."

"She had some bad news today. She would be here with you guys since you are her best friends," Jesse said evenly back.

"Why do you need to speak to her anyway?" Stacie asked. "It's not like you're friends."

"We're..." Jesse started.

He wanted to say it. They were friends. They were lovers. And he was in love with her, damn it! He didn't care if everyone knew that. Not any more. It was at the tip of his tongue.

"What do you want, Swanson?"

Beca was now stood just behind Stacie, her arms crossed in a similar fashion. Stacie whirled around, frowning at her and Jesse could make out Stacie mouthing something to Beca. Beca just nodded, mouthing back a reply. Stacie was still not convinced, laying one hand on Beca's arm and glancing warningly at Jesse.

"Beca, we need to talk," Jesse spoke up.

Beca shook her head. "No, we don't."

"Yes, we do," Jesse insisted. Beca was scoffing, already halfway turning away. "It's either I find out the truth from you. Or I have to believe what Daniel Meade said."

He heard Amy and Stacie hissing out loud and Jesse was fairly certain that both of them were about to launch into him and claw his eyes out. He didn't care. Let them. Because Beca had stop turning away and was now staring at him in shock.

"What. Did. That. Bastard. Said?"

Every word was spat out with so much hate and venom. She was livid. And yet so hurt. So much hurt in her eyes that he wanted to go over and hug her close.

Jesse took a calming breath. "Please, can we talk?"

* * *

**AN :** _I am a talentless hack who can't write and I'm sad. Arrghhh..Ahem..umm, sorry for that little outburst. I'm just trying so hard to get this story going._


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Jesse Swanson knew he had to make every moment count. She had agreed to talk but he wasn't entirely sure Beca Mitchell wasn't about to change her mind and flounced out any moment now. Both Amy and Stacie were eyeballing them but Beca waved both of them off, going to a corner the Closet. Jesse had followed suit. They were now standing facing each other in this small space. She was still defensive, arms across her chest, foot tapping restlessly. Jesse was struggling with how he should start this when Beca broke the silence between them.

"What did Daniel said?"

Her voice was hard and Jesse thought through his answer carefully.

"What happened with you and Daniel?" he asked instead.

Beca laughed humourlessly.

"You are not answering my question," she countered back. Jesse did not take his eyes off her and Beca returned the gaze squarely. "What went on between Daniel and I is none of your business," she replied. "Why do you even want to know?"

"Because Daniel Meade talked a lot of shit," Jesse said, anger spiking in his voice. "I refuse to believe all the stupid drivel he was telling me."

Beca scoffed out loud. "Believe whatever you want, dude. I don't really care." She straightened up and walked past, the small space making her brush against him.

Jesse grabbed her arm.

"Were you pregnant? Did you have his baby?" he said urgently. Jesse knew he was holding her arm too tight and he might be hurting her but right now, he was desperate. "Please, Beca. I have to know. Were you really pregnant? Or did you fake it, like Daniel said?"

She was still. So very, very still.

Beca Mitchell looked up.

"He said that?" she whispered. "He said I fake the pregnancy?"

And then she crumpled.

One moment, she was staring up at him, her eyes icy blue. And the next, she was turning away, biting her lip to stop it from trembling, eyes squeezed shut, trying to keep the tears from falling. Jesse pulled her closer and held her fast. Because she was shaking now, trying to stay in control, trying not to let these sobs escaped. He held her so tight against him, even though she was struggling angrily, lashing out at him. She was swearing and cursing against his chest yet he still held on. Because Jesse knew she was hurting and she needed to let out all her anger before she could break down crying.

Stacie and Amy had stood poised, watching the scene. Their eyes met Jesse's, who nodded imperceptibly at both of them, wordlessly telling them he got this. He wrapped his arms more securely round Beca. After a long, deliberate stare, Stacie returned the nod and tugged at Amy's arm to leave them both alone.

It was a full five minutes before Beca could collect herself.

She drew back, dashing her tears away with the back of her hand. "That fucker. That stupid, fucking bastard." She kept repeating that underneath her breath. "How dare he..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jesse said softly, his hands still anchored around her.

Beca seemed to realise that Jesse was there and that there was this whole messed up situation between them still unresolved. A hard look crossed her face as she shook herself free from his grasp.

"What? You think I should tell you how stupid I was to get pregnant with a fucker like Daniel Meade?" she spat out harshly. "He didn't want to know about it. Why should you?"

Daniel's words about Beca faking it rang loud and clear in his mind.

"He didn't take you seriously?" Jesse said.

"He didn't want anything to do with it."

"Did he..did he make you have an abortion?" he croaked out in horror.

Beca shook her head. "No. He swore off the whole thing, said he couldn't be the dad and all that shit." A strange, sad grimace marred her beautiful mouth and Beca rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes. "I was happy to do it alone," she mumbled painfully. "But I...I lost the baby."

He could not bear to see the hurt she was carrying. Jesse rushed forward to hold her again but Beca Mitchell had recollected herself, a hard mask slipping over all the sadness. She was standing straight and defiant. "So now you know," Beca said. "Whatever shit Daniel said, it was all lies."

Jesse looked frozen for a moment and then a string of curses flew out of his mouth. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. He should have punched Daniel Meade when he had the chance. He should have beat him to the ground for all the shit he said, for all the lies, for all the hurt he had caused Beca. He felt sick. Sick to the core. And damn it! He should have...

"Are you done?"

Beca's voice cut through his anger and Jesse stopped swearing. He took a deep breath, turning back to face Beca. "Beca, I swear, next time I see that Daniel Meade, I -"

"Why didn't you tell me what's happening to Decibel?"

It was her turn now. She was angry and Jesse took a moment, mouthing wordlessly before the words came out. "I'm sorry about that. It was the Board's decision, not mine."

"But you knew!" she said accusingly. "Perhaps weeks or months before and you didn't tell me."

"I can't tell you outright, Beca. It's confidential," he said, staring at the raging brunette. "I'm really sorry this came as a shock to you. I thought you knew it was coming. I really thought you knew."

Beca opened her mouth to refute that but all that came out was an angry, frustrated yelp.

"It's going to be fine, Beca," Jesse tried to placate her. "Everyone's going to get a really good package out of this. You're so insanely talented. You'll get a better offer -"

"You don't get it, do you?" Beca yelled out angrily. "It's not just a job! We are family there. That magazine is important to me. And to Noah. He had worked his guts out for nearly 25 years! It will kill him to see -"

"He was the first to take the redundancy, Beca."

The gasp that came out of her was almost painful.

"Noah had a good run. He did confide he was getting too old for this game and wanted an early retirement," Jesse continued. "I tried fighting your corner with the Board. It was hard to make a case when Noah had given up. I'm really sorry. I wish I could do more but I don't make those decisions, Beca."

"But..." Beca began and then she yelled out again in frustration. "You know what? Forget it. There's nothing more to talk about. We are done."

"No, we're not." Jesse insisted.

"We are," Beca disagreed, ready to leave.

"We still have to talk about last Thursday."

No. She didn't want to talk about Thursday. That was the last thing she wanted to talk about. But he was standing in her way, refusing to budge.

"Can you please let me explain?" Jesse pleaded.

"Dude, you don't have to explain anything," Beca replied, not looking at him. Her IDGAF mask slipped easily over her face, even thought she was shaking on the inside. "You can fuck anyone you like. Amanda. Cassie. Any girl you want. I don't own you."

"I didn't fuck Amanda," Jesse said hotly. "Nor do I want to. After you left, I put her in a cab home. On Monday, I had her transferred. She had been trying it on for months and I should have transferred her ages ago."

"Dude, stop. I don't really care..."

"Ask me about Cassie."

"What?" Beca looked at Jesse in confusion. He had this strange, grim look on his face.

"Ask me!" he repeated, firmer this time.

"Wh..what about Cassie?" she stuttered out.

"I don't sleep with her either."

"Wha...Is this some fucking joke?" Beca stammered out, a little stunned. "You don't sleep with Cassie?"

"No, I don't." Jesse shook his head. "You know something else? I haven't slept with anyone else since that day down at the Archives. Do you want to know why? Because I don't want anyone else. They are all not you." He took a step closer, crowding into her. "And I only want you."

Beca was staring up wordlessly at him. He was so close, a few inches of space between them. She could feel his warm breath against her temple.

"I didn't expect this to happen. Things like this don't happen to guys like me," Jesse said huskily. "I never thought..." His words trailed off and then Jesse stared down at her, "Beca Mitchell, I think I might be insanely in love with you."

* * *

"What did he say? Did he really said that?"

"Shhh Amy! I can't hear!" Stacie whisper-yelled at Amy. Both of them were hiding behind a panel, eavesdropping shamelessly.

"Did man-candy said he LOVE her?" Amy whispered back urgently. She was tugging her ears hard like it would help her listen better.

"Fuck, Amy!" Stacie wailed. "Shut your breathing. I can't hear."

Stacie was batting Amy away while the blonde lunged forward to get a better listen. Unfortunately, the panel was not built to withstand two nosy friends eavesdropping and they both went crashing through, bringing a rack of dresses with them and landing in a tangled heap in front of a very surprised Beca and Jesse.

"Ahem! Don't mind us," Stacie piped up after spitting some feathers out of her mouth. "We're just... umm.. redecorating."

"Ouch." Amy complained, rubbing her elbow where she had hit the floor hard. Stacie was elbowing her and she quickly spoke up. "Umm..yes, that panel had termites. It's dangerous."

Beca stared at her nosy friends, both of them fighting to get up now and shook her head. "You guys are unbelievable," she muttered before stalking out, leaving all of them behind. Jesse was staring at Beca Mitchell feeling divided. He wanted to run after Beca but his innate manners took over. He helped both Amy and Stacie up to their feet, out of the tangled dresses, the pieces broken panel and the rack now bent out of shape.

"Well, this is unexpected," Amy was saying, straightening up and adjusting her boobs in a way that made Jesse avert his eyes.

Stacie was already on her feet and staring hard at Jesse.

"Do you really mean it?" she barked, making Jesse jumped. "What you said, did you really mean it?"

"Ye..yes." he stammered. "Of course I do."

"What did she say?" Stacie asked, her tone getting harder. "Did she say anything back?"

"She didn't," Jesse said, shaking his head a little sadly. "And then you guys fell through the wall."

"Well, what are you waiting for, stud?" Stacie yelled. "Aren't you going after her?"

"What?" Jesse said, sounding a little daze.

"You want an answer, don't you?" the blondie said. Jesse nodded slowly,. "Then I suggest you run after her. Right now!"

* * *

It was too much.

Everything that happened today was too much. Beca was not sure she could cope. She needed some time to process all the fuckery that happened today. From not having a job in the coming months to Daniel Meade talking shit in the lift to her and then to Jesse. And Jesse... oh god, what did he say? Why did he say it?

She needed a walk. She needed to clear her head.

Beca was already outside on the pavement, up 8th Avenue, heading towards Central Park when she heard running steps behind her and his familiar voice calling out her name. No. No. Not now. Despite all her misgivings, Beca stopped and a few moments later, Jesse was by her side. He was panting, out of breath when he drew up next to her. She stood still, staring at him trying to catch his breath. Jesse ran his hand through his unruly hair and then nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"Beca.." he started.

"Shh! Not another word!" Beca interrupted him. "Not until I can figure this whole thing out."

She turned away, walking up 8th Avenue and after a beat of hesitation, he followed. He fell in step with her, leaving some space in between them. She didn't glance at him, shoving her hands deep into her jeans, marching up the busy pavement, eyes straight ahead.

It was not until they were in the park when she slowed down. She finally stopped at the pond in the South side. It was late May and Central Park was lush with green leaves and flowers. She was gazing at the pond, seemingly hynoptised with the breeze leaving ruffles on the watery surface. Like she asked, Jesse did not speak a word. He stood silently, slightly behind her, letting her have all the space she needed.

He heard a small sigh came out of her before Beca wheeled round to face him.

"What do you think you're doing?" she said. Jesse searched her face, trying to gauge what she was feeling. But it was always so hard with Beca Mitchell. She had perfected that poker face so well.

"I.." Jesse said. His throat was dry and he cleared it uncomfortably. "I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me."

"Bullshit," Beca called out. She said that word in a neutral, almost bland tone and it was even more chilling than if she had yelled it out. "This is some joke to you?"

"Beca, I don't joke about these things," Jesse said desperately. Why was it so hard for her to believe him? Why? Couldn't she see how wonderful she was? And how head over heels he was with her? She was the only woman he was seeing regularly, she was the only girl he had over his place. They had spent a magical week in Rome. Why couldn't she see it?

"I don't know what you are playing at, Jesse Swanson," Beca said. "But stop it right now!"

"I'm not," Jesse answered hotly. How can he make her see? "Beca, I think... Fuck!"

He broke off, swearing. Jesse clenched his hands in frustration and took a deep, deep breath.

"Let me start again. I shouldn't say I think I'm in love in with," Jesse was saying now. "Because that's not true. I know I am in love with you. Perhaps ever since I laid my eyes on you. I was just so fucked up I didn't even know it. Can't you not see? I'm in love with your wit, your face, your eyes. The way you drive me crazy telling me you don't like movies. I'm in love with the way you hold me tight when I'm sad, the way you play with my hair, the way you make french toast to say sorry to me. I'm in love how passionate you are with your work, your music. How much you love your friends. And Snowball. And West side story. I...I am just so in love with you."

He was ranting and raving and blurting everything out. He felt like he was not making sense. But damn it, she needed to know. He could not keep it in any longer and the longer he ranted, the more he knew he was speaking the truth. He had been denying it all this while. All these months thinking it was all some sexual attraction when nothing could be further than the truth. It was much, much more than that.

He felt free.

Now that Jesse Swanson had spilled everything out, he felt free. He didn't care who was listening in. He didn't care any more. Because all he wanted was for her to know.

"...Can't you see it, Beca?" he implored. "Can't you feel it? I am standing here, right in front of you, telling you the truth. Because to me, you're perfect. And my wasted heart..."

"Dude, stop!" Beca yelled.

And she stepped forward, pushing herself up to the tip of her toes and silence him with a kiss.

His hands automatically clutched at her head, fingers tangling into her soft hair. Jesse shut his eyes and kissed her back. Nothing mattered. Just her in his arms, hands twined behind his neck pulling him closer to her. His heart felt like bursting. His head felt light and giddy. Jesse felt he would float away if she was not holding on to him.

She broke the kiss, rocking back to her heels. Beca looked up at him, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Jesse could only stare back, knowing how shell shocked he must have looked right now. And then a grin slowly spread across his face.

"Was it the movie quotes?" he finally croaked out.

That slight smile tugged harder at the corners of her mouth.

"I had to stop you somehow," Beca said, casually shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, if you are down to scraping the barrel, using movie quotes, that's like...you meant business."

"I do," Jesse breathed out, drawing her closer. "I really meant every word I said."

"I know now."

She said that but Jesse did not miss the slight twist to her mouth.

"You still don't believe me," he said, feeling a little sick in his stomach.

"It's not I don't believe you," Beca sighed, looking away. She concentrated on the front of his suit, her finger lightly scratching the tie he was wearing. "It's just... well, you said..."

"What did I say?" Jesse prompted.

"You said we can't have a thing. We can't be. You're with Cassie." Beca finally said. "You've made that pretty clear."

Her voice nearly broke. Jesse sighed heavily, pressing his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering how the hell he got himself into this fix. She was speaking the truth. In the giddiness of his declaration and her kiss, he managed to forget what he was here for. It was supposed to be easy. This plan he had with Cassie and Aubrey. It was supposed to work. It was foolproof. Jesse Swanson did not know then he would do something as cheesy and unpredictable as falling in love.

"I know. I'm sorry," he whispered and once those words were out of his mouth, he felt her slumping in his arms. He didn't let her go, holding on to her for dear life. They stood silently in each other arms. _She fits so perfectly_ – Jesse thought. - _She's tiny and sweet. And fragile and strong. And I am so in love with her._

"Cassie and I have an arrangement," Jesse whispered into her hair. "She needs me at the moment, Beca. I can't turn my back to her."

She was nodding but Jesse thought he could feel her slipping away. He held on tighter.

"This whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing is a show. It's not real," he quickly explained. "Cassie wanted Uncle George to be happy. I do, too. That man did a lot for me. So we had this plan. It's not real, Beca. Cassie and I... we are best friends. Nothing more than that."

Jesse pushed her slightly away so he could look at her face. He wanted her to see he was telling the truth. Her eyes were so blue. He could drown in those eyes. Right now they were scrutinising him, seeming to look directly into his soul. Jesse felt more naked than he had ever been but he held her gaze. She needed to know how serious he was.

"Please believe me."

* * *

Wilhelmina Slater was standing just on the inside of H&amp;H marble reception, waiting for her town car when she saw Beca Mitchell stalking out of the building. She was about to dismiss it. She knew Beca by sight and reputation, of course. That poor idiot was besotted with Daniel Meade about a year back? And if the rumours were true, was stupid enough to get pregnant with that player. _Girls. Stupid all of them _– she mused, already turning away to look at the proofs before her.

But then, Jesse Swanson came rushing past, running after the tiny brunette and Wilhelmina suddenly perked up.

Hmm. This is interesting.

He was in such a rush he didn't notice Wilhelmina standing by the doorway. Nor did he noticed Wilhelmina skulking right outside, watching as he ran down 8th Avenue after Beca Mitchell. She noted how Beca stopped as he drew alongside. Both of them were stiff and looked argumentative but Wilhelmina knew sexual tension when she saw one. And the sparks flowing between these two could blow up the National Grid.

Well, that confirmed it – she thought. She remembered Amanda Tannen's drunken attempt at seducing Jesse Swanson, which backfired spectacularly. Amanda also said Beca Mitchell was in the apartment and Jesse acted all weird. Wilhelmina had thought it might be some coincidence and Amanda was just to drunk to remember correctly.

Her phone buzzed and Wilhelmina picked up the call.

"Ms. Slater?" the calm voice came over her phone.

"Yes?"

"It's the clinic here. We have Ms. Sommers on the phone for you. Will you take the call?"

"Yes, please put her through."

Wilhelmina waited for a minute before she heard the familiar low voice. "Willy?"

"Why didn't you call me on your cellphone?" Willy answered, frowning a little.

"The cellphone's charging," came the answer. "I can't wait to tell you the good news."

"What is it?"

"The recovery is better than expected. I will be ready in two weeks."

Wilhelmina never grinned or smiled. Because she didn't want crow's feet, of course. And the botox had actually froze most of her features. But right at this moment, she wanted to have the biggest grin on her face. Everything was falling into place. This was falling neatly into her plans to oust that stupid Daniel Meade. And the revelation about something happening between Jesse Swanson and Beca Mitchell was icing on the cake. She now had something over that bitch, Cassandra Harris.

"That is very good news," Wilhelmina said.

"Once these bandages are off, I'm ready to face the world, Willy," the low voice crowed.

The corners of Wilhelmina's mouth twitched a milimetre as she purred back. "And the world will be ready for you, Alexis."

* * *

_She's so beautiful. _

Jesse's eyes took in the sight of Beca Mitchell lying asleep in his bed. Her curly, brown hair was lying in a tousled heap down her face as she laid on her front, clutching the pillow underneath her. He reached over to brush away strands of her hair so he could see her face. Her pale, white face with her creamy skin and cheeks flushed pink. She looked so peaceful sleeping, breathing in and out. So innocent and unwary it was about to break his heart.

She believed him. She said so. She believed everything that he said.

And for one frightening moment, Jesse felt that his heart would burst. She believed him. They had headed back to his place and spent hours making love. It was no longer a straight fuck. No. Not when he finally admitted how he felt. When she told him she felt the same.

She believed him.

But in the half darkness, in his bed, gazing at this beautiful woman who had trusted him wholeheartedly, Jesse felt something deep and terrible clenching inside him. Slowly, he untangled himself from her arms. She mumbled something sweet in her sleep that made him stop. Once she settled back into her sleep, Jesse got out of bed, searching for his phone.

He was standing at the doorway, eyes still on her as he waited for the call to go through.

"Hey," he said softly when the call went through.

"Yo, dude! What happened to you?"

Donald's voice was a mix of half exasperation half surprise. Jesse could hear the party going at the back. Donald was at work, checking out one of his Stallion clubs. Jesse glanced over at Beca's sleeping form, knowing for certainty what he was going to do. He was going to hurt her very, very much.

"Don, I think I've made a big mistake."

* * *

**AN :**_ Thank you for all your reviews and love for the last chapter and for all this time. I had a wobbly moment when writing that chapter and all your love was greatly appreciated. I had a moment, sorry. Usually I can hide the crazy but the crazy went running out, stark raving naked, shaking macarenas. Thank you. I am humbled by your words and your love. And oh, please don't kill me just yet._


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"I don't think you should do this alone."

Beca turned to see Jesse looking gravely down at her. Last night had been amazing. They had went straight to his apartment after that rather romantic confession at Central Park and she had spent the night there. They were now outside the front entrance of her apartment building the morning after. She had to stop by and get changed before going to work and he had insisted he had to see her home. Their fingers were laced together and Jesse squeezed her hand, giving her a small smile. He looked towards the window of her apartment on the third floor.

"I'm not entirely sure Chloe wouldn't kill you. So I should come up," Jesse continued. "Now that I've got you, I don't want to lose you too soon. "

Beca scoffed, trying not to laugh out loud. The cell network must have overheated yesterday judging by the numbers of pings coming through the phone. Stacie and Amy must have told Chloe at some point because she got like a hundred texts and missed calls. She was about to give Chloe a call back but Jesse was doing this wonderful nibbling thing to her ear and her neck whilst they were in bed and she had immediately switched off her phone.

"Chloe will have some questions," Beca said.

"How long have you've know her?"

"Since college," Beca replied. "She barged in while I was naked in the shower to get me to audition for the Bellas in freshman year. We've been friends ever since."

"Ok..." Jesse drawled out. The mental image was a little distracting. "She's your best friend, isn't she?"

"Yeah. Chloe's the best."

"Then, I'll have to meet her."

The walk up to her apartment didn't take long. Beca was halfway opening the various locks on the door when she heard them tumbled open from the inside and the door was wrenched open. A loud yowl from Snowball greeted her together with a very crossed, very high squeal of "Rebecca Mitchell! How dare you switch off your phone?" Chloe's red hair and livid face crowded her vision and Beca took a step back in fright. Jesus, angry Chloe was scary. Chloe's mouth was open and she was about to launch into a tirade. But she saw Jesse and promptly halted, shutting her mouth audibly.

Her eyes still looked scary though.

"Hi, you must be Chloe," Jesse spoke up. "I don't think we've met. I'm Jesse."

Chloe was mad.

She was so so mad.

Between Stacie, Amy and her, they had been talking about Beca's situation for a while now. She wasn't too thrilled about this fuck buddy arrangement Beca had with some nameless person that none of the girls noew about. Stacie and Amy had been trying to uncover the identity for weeks but Beca, being Beca, was really good at hiding this kind of stuff.

Then all hell broke loose yesterday.

Chloe stared hard at both of them standing at the doorway.

Beca was silent and guarded, no doubt trying to gauge the readhead's level of craziness at that very moment. And that man, Jesse? He was bending down, scratching Snowball behind his ears and crooning softly at that evil cat. Snowball had never been that friendly to anyone and now the cat let Jesse picked him up and now he was flopped in that man's arms, purring loudly. Chloe eyed the dark haired man suspiciously. What kind of voodoo magic is this?

"Chlo, I can explain," Beca spoke up nervously

The redhead had her arms across her chest. "Both of you come in," she ordered. When they were all in the apartment, Chloe whirled around. "You, stay here." she said pointing at Jesse and the couch. "You, come with me." she said to Beca, jerking her head towards the kitchen. Once they were safely out of earshot, Chloe bore down on the brunette. "Beca, are you crazy? What are you getting yourself into?"

"Chlo, it's fine. We are good," Beca tried to calm her down.

"No no. You are not good, missy!" Chloe whisper yelled. "What the hell, Beca? He has a girlfriend! The girls told me. Try and explain that."

"Oh yeah. That." Beca answered, trying not to look at Chloe.

"He's cheating on her to be with you?" Chloe hissed. "I don't think that's the kind of guy you want, Beca."

Beca was rubbing her temples. "It's fine. He explained it," she replied tiredly. "It's some sort of a deal and it doesn't mean anything."

"Listen to you!" Chloe answered back. "You sound like one of those deluded girls on Jeremy Kyle! God, Beca, don't do this. I think you should end this right now and tell him to leave you alone."

"I can't."

"What?" Chloe's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "What do you mean you can't? You've known him like two seconds."

"It's been more than two seconds. It's been going on for months," Beca explained. She looked down, not meeting Chloe's eyes and said softly. "I'm in love with him, Chlo. I didn't mean to. We had this arrangement and I don't know. It just happened."

She had rendered the redhead speechless. All she heard now was a series of astonished squeaks.

"Please don't be mad. He's a great guy, if you get to know him," Beca said. "And he really cares about me. I mean, will he come up here and face your wrath if he doesn't?"

"Ok," Chloe breathed out. "Let me get this straight. You are...in love with him."

Chloe nearly choked over the words. Beca just nodded emphatically.

"And he has the same feelings?"

Again Beca nodded. Except now she had this stupid, silly smile on her face and Chloe inwardly groaned. She had seen that smile before.

"He has a girlfriend?"

"A pretend girlfriend," Beca clarified.

"And you are ok with that?"

Beca nodded, a little less surely this time and Chloe pounced on that like a hawk.

"So is he going to break it off with her? Are you going to date officially? Can you both walk into the office right now holding hands? What about the holidays? Is he going to spend Thanksgiving with us girls? Is he going to meet your parents over Christmas? Are you seeing his parents?"

"Chlo. Chlo! Stop!" Beca interrupted. "We are still trying to figure things out, ok? It all only happened yesterday."

* * *

Jesse sat gingerly on the sofa with Snowball on his lap. He could not quite hear what Beca and Chloe were talking about; although by the muffled tones and a snatch of a word or two, he could make a good guess. Chloe was grilling Beca; there was no two words about that. He tickled Snowball on his chin and the cat purred adoringly at him.

"What do you think, Snowball?" he spoke to the cat. "Do you think Chloe will come round?"

The cat meowed gravely in answer.

"Yeah," Jesse sighed. "I'm not much of a catch, am I? At least you like me, right?"

He was asking a lot out of Beca. What other sane girl would take him like this? So bloody fucked up with so many issues it was untrue. He had to call Donald. He found himself head over heels in love for the first time. This had never happened to him before and he had freaked out. How did that happened? One moment he was thinking how amazing she was and the next moment, he didn't want her to leave him. Ever.

Jesse heard them coming into the living room and turned round. Beca came over and Chloe was standing at the kitchen doorway, still scowling.

"I'm going to get changed," Beca said, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. "You can go to work first, if you like."

"I'll wait," Jesse whispered up at her. "Is everything ok?"

"Not quite," Beca whispered back. "It's your turn now. Be brave."

She winked at him and went off to her bedroom. Chloe waited until the door shut behind Beca before staring back at Jesse. He gulped a little uncomfortably, clutching Snowball closer.

"I don't like you," Chloe declared loudly. "Do you want to know why?"

Jesse rose up from the sofa, gently setting Snowball down.

"I think I can guess why," Jesse answered, smiling a little ruefully.

"I told her to end it with you," Chloe barked back.

"Ok."

"But she's stubborn," Chloe continued.

"Yes, she can be." Jesse replied with a half smile.

"For some weird reason, she still wants to be with you," Chloe said. "Even though you have a girlfriend. I don't think someone who is cheating on his girlfriend is good enough for Beca."

__Shit. She was not pulling punches___ -_ Jesse thought.

"I know it looks bad," Jesse said carefully. "It's...complicated. But it's going to be fine. I'll make it right."

"Sure you will." Chloe answered.

Jesse did not miss the sarcastic lilt in her tone.

"You don't believe me," he said astutely. "I don't blame you for it. I can understand you are protective of Beca."

Chloe seemed to weigh those words.

"Damn right we are protective of her. She had been through hell and back," Chloe answered with a hard look on her face.

"I really do care for her, Chloe," Jesse replied. "And I won't do anything to hurt her."

Chloe barked out a sharp, derisive laugh, shaking her head.

"There are many things that I am not sure about you, Mr. Swanson. Who you are. What you want with Beca. What the hell is pretend girlfriend thing you have with Cassandra Harris" the redhead replied, her eyes hardening again. "But there is one thing I am sure about. I am 100% sure you are going to hurt Beca. You are going to hurt her really bad."

* * *

Despite Chloe's misgivings, she had to admit that Beca seemed happy. In the weeks that follow, she had met Jesse a few more times when he picked Beca up for their dates or when he hung out at their apartment. He had been really sweet but Chloe still could not shake off the foreboding feeling that this was all wrong.

Like all couples do, Jesse and Beca fell into an easy pattern.

It was agreed that there was no need to complicate things further. Much to the girls' chagrin, they decided they should keep things under wraps and to still pretend to be mere acquaintances at work, barely speaking to one another. Every Tuesdays and Wednesdays, if he was not working late or if she didn't have a gig to go to, they would have a standing dinner date. Fridays she will be at his place and unless she had plans with the girls, that Friday night will turn into Saturdays and lazy Sunday mornings; which why she was here at his apartment this lovely Sunday morning, trying to make some sort of nest in his bed.

Beca stretched out lazily before rolling round and wrapping the duvet more securely round her. It was around nine but Beca didn't intend to get up any time soon. She was never an early riser on weekends. The bed was huge, comfortable and warm, and the sheets also smelled of Jesse. Beca smiled at the thought, burying her face into the pillows and inhaling the scent.

He had already woken up and she could hear him moving about in the kitchen. The smell of pancakes and coffee was tugging at her senses and just when Beca thought she would have to prise herself free from this comfy nest, she heard him walking towards the bedroom.

Beca pretended to be asleep.

"Get up, weirdo," she heard him saying. When she didn't respond, Jesse nudge her with his foot. "Come on, Beca. I know you're pretending."

The nudge became harder. Beca hid a smile in the pillows before making a big show of waking up. She groaned and yawned and rubbed her face, before opening her eyes and scowling up at him.

"You woke me up," Beca complained.

He was standing by the bed, grinning down at her, a laden breakfast tray in his hands.

"Technically, you are already awake," Jesse argued back. "Now if you want some breakfast, sit up."

"You used to wake me up in a different way," Beca pouted, sitting up and clutching the warm duvet against her. "Where's all the romance?"

"Oh? You want me to wake you up that way?" Jesse asked, smirking down at her. "We can do that if you like, but your breakfast will get cold."

This time her scowl was real. She made space on the bed and he set the tray between them. A wam stack of pancakes and bacon, a mug of coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice were arranged neatly on the tray. Beca reached for the coffee, taking a careful sip. He was already cutting up the pancakes and offering it to her. She took a mouthful.

"These are yummy," she said after swallowing them down. Jesse just smiled, coaxing her to eat more. Beca reached for a piece of bacon and ate it in between bites of pancakes. "Dude, you've got to stop feeding me like this. I don't want to buy a whole new wardrobe."

"I like to see you eat," he said. "You're tiny."

"Yeah? How 'bout if I put on like lots of weight?" Beca huffed. "You won't love me anymore."

Jesse laughed.

"I won't mind. I love you whatever you look like," he replied. "Besides there'll be more of you to...you know, hold on to." He leaned forward and cheekily grabbed her breast.

Beca screamed slightly, nearly dropping the coffee."Dude, hands off," she cried, swatting his hand away.

Jesse sat back, still chuckling and continued feeding her more pancakes. The whole stack was nearly polished off when Beca shook her head, refusing the next bite.

"Had enough?" Jesse asked, waving the fork at her. At her nod, he dropped the fork back down onto the plate. "Ok, it's my turn."

He shifted the tray, placing it on the floor near the side table. Then he climbed over her, grinning wolfishly down at her.

Beca stared up at him. "Dude, the food's on the tray."

"Nope," Jesse shook his head. His warm hand was on her waist underneath her nightshirt. "You're my breakfast." He lowered his head and kissed her slowly. "Mmm. Coffee." He kissed her deeper this time. "You taste of coffee and pancakes."

She slung her arms around around his neck and pulled him down.

"You taste of toothpaste," Beca murmured. "I like toothpaste."

He was staring down at her. His eyes were soft as his fingers brushed the strays of hair off her face. Jesse ran his thumb across her cheekbones, marvelling at the softness of her skin and that flush that made her creamy skin so rosy. His thumb then skated across the plump pillow of her bottom lip and as if he needed further proof, Jesse dipped his head down and kissed those luscious lips. Her mouth opened eagerly underneath his.

Their kisses always started slow.

This was how he loved it. Just warm in bed with her, on sunny mornings like this, just slowly building this fire between them. It had changed somehow. Sex had changed between them. Of course, they still have those bouts of frenzied lust; the hard fucks against the wall, the quick fumble under her dress to sweep her underwear aside because he just want to be inside her right here right now and could not wait a minute longer.

They still have all that.

But they have this too.

This slow, deliberate, measured loving; where he could drown himself in every inch of her skin, her scent, her warmth. Where he could feel the silky tresses of her hair in his hands and stare down into her blue eyes as he moved slowly within her. Where he could listen to her sighs turning into moans and moans into cries as she restlessly shift and unravel underneath him.

He loved to take her there over and over again.

Jesse slid his hands up her rib cage, pushing the thin cotton shirt up. He momentarily released her lips to pull that shirt over her head and he tossed it aside, not caring where it landed. Her luminous blue eyes were gazing up at him, so clear and trusting and vulnerable. Somehow, knowing she let herself be this unguarded with him made him love her even more. Before, she was like a drug to him, a hit that he had to have. Now she was like his air. His every breath. His life. He never felt more alive than to be here with her, like this.

Beca raised herself up, shimmying against the headboard and pushed him gently over until she was on top of him. He fell back, grinning, into the pillows, just watching her straddling him. Her brown river of hair fell around her face, the ends tickling his.

His hands were on her waist and his right traveled up to gently caress her breast. Jesse loved the way her breast feel in his hand, all warm and soft. He loved the way her pink nipples would pucker up into hard nubs and how they felt under his fingers. He loved the way her nipples felt on his tongue, how the soft flesh of her breasts felt against his mouth and face but right now, he was content with just seeing how perfect they looked.

Beca leaned down to kiss him on his nose, then his cheek before finding his mouth. The kiss deepened with her hands cradling his face. He drew her close, his arms holding her tight against him. She felt so wonderful, naked and bare against his chest, the slight weight of her sinking into him. She let go of his mouth, kissing him down his throat and he could not help that satisfied sigh coming out of his throat at the feel of her warm lips against his skin.

Jesse stared down at the sight of her head moving downwards, her hair trailing down his chest. She looked up, a naughty glint in her eyes as her hands rested on the top of his boxer shorts. She ran her palm against his erection, still staring at him and the corner of her mouth curved when a needy moan escaped his lips.

"If you want it, you only need to ask," Beca said, her hand now softly squeezing him.

"Please..." Jesse said.

"Please what?" she teased, scratching her fingernails across the cotton fabric covering his shaft. Jesse's hips jerked a little at the sensation.

"Beca..." Jesse whined.

She tugged at his boxers and he lifted his hips so she could pull the impediment free.

"You have to tell me what you want," Beca whispered wickedly. "I don't know where you like me to do this.." She ran her warm palm up and down his erection. "Or would you prefer… this." With the tip of her tongue, she slowly lick up from the base to the tip. Her smirk widened when she heard the hiss coming out from him.

He shifted, sitting up and leaned down to cup her face in his hand.

"Your mouth. I want my dick in your mouth," he said. His brown eyes were dark with arousal. "Please."

She smiled up at him and parted her lips slightly. The tip of her tongue flicked out, teasing the sensitive skin just underneath his head and Jesse closed his eyes. Without warning, her mouth engulfed the head and her mouth sank further down, taking as much of him inside. Jesse moaned her name out loud, his hands already tangled in her hair.

He keep watching. It felt wonderful, of course. Her warm and wet mouth, her tongue, her teeth grazing gently against his sensitive skin. The feel of her soft hair on his thighs. But there was nothing sexier than watching her doing this. Her hands on him. The sight of his hard dick sliding in and out of her pink lips. Very few things looked this incredible, this sexy, this fucking amazing.

God, he was building up way too fast.

Jesse pushed her slightly away, sliding out from her mouth and she pouted up at him, already trying to pull him closer.

"Don't, baby. I'm not going to last," he whispered, placing his thumb on that adorable pout. He pulled her up, wrapping his arms around her waist. Her thighs were apart, on either side of his hips, her core hovering a hair's breadth from his burgeoning hard on. Beca smirked down at him and rocked her hips against him.

She was so wet.

Jesse bit his lip at the feel of her sliding against him. Her arms were braced on his shoulders, her head dipped down close to his as she kept rocking this insane rhythm against him. She was panting, her breath warm on his skin and his hands closed on her breasts, fingers rolling her nipples. Jesse almost couldn't bear hearing her pants turning into soft moans, right in his ear.

"I really want to come inside you." he begged, burying his face into her breasts. "Please."

His hands were impatient, gripping her waist tight, trying to shift her hips and with one swift movement, she sank herself onto him. The feel of her tight, tight walls squeezing him was almost too much to bear and with a hard groan, Jesse pushed her backwards on the bed, still inside her. He wanted to be on top. He wanted to hold her arms down and thrust hard into her. He wanted to watch her lose all control and come right underneath him. She was already wrapping her legs around his waist, urging him on and with a grunt, Jesse pressed himself deeper into her, over and over. Her legs fell apart, her hands gripping his ass and he knew to roll his hips against her, hitting her clit again and again until with a cry, Beca came apart underneath him.

She threw her head back, pressing herself closer against him and he knew he could not hold it back. And with a groan, Jesse buried his face into her neck and thrust deep into her until his orgasm ripped through him and he met his oblivion.

* * *

**A little later**

He was happy to stay here, just spooning her like this but it was nearly eleven. The digital numbers on the clock standing on the side table rudely reminded him of the time. "I've gotta go, baby," Jesse mumbled into her hair. He sighed a little despondently, hugging Beca closer.

Beca glanced at clock.

"Yeah, you'd better get ready," she said, reluctantly removing her arms from around him. That was another thing in their weekly schedule. Every Sunday, he would have lunch with George Harris Senior and Cassie without fail. It was a long-standing arrangement.

He must have heard the tone in her voice because Jesse turned towards her, his brow creasing. "Do you want me to cancel?"

"No. Why should I? It's your thing," she said, getting up. "I'll just let myself out and lock up, as usual."

She was already on her feet, looking for that nightshirt that had been tossed aside just now. Where was her panties? She need to use the bathroom but Jesse would want to shower first. Cassie's town car was usually waiting downstairs at 12 noon on the dot. Beca knew Sundays was his time with Cassie and he would incommunicado the whole of Sunday.

Beca found her tshirt and pulled it on. Usually, she would stay a little longer in his apartment after he left, either taking a long bath and just lazing around but she did not feel like staying today. She just really wanted to go home right now, cuddle her cat and watch some trash tv. She felt his arms stealing round her waist from the back and Jesse drew her nearer into him.

"You are angry."

It was not a question.

"No, I'm not," she answered with a tired shake of her head. "I'm not angry."

"You're not happy, either" Jesse answered back, his voice serious.

Beca turned round in his arms.

"I'm ok," she reassured him.

He did not believe her and Jesse was about to say something else when his phone rang loudly. Jesse knew who it was from the ringtone and reluctantly, he let go of Beca and looked for his phone.

"Hey," he answered quietly. Beca watched as he stood by the side table, turning slightly away from her. "What's up, babe?"

She immediately knew who was on the line. Beca continued to look for her things. She didn't really want to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"You're downstairs?" he said and Beca froze. "Wow, you're early. I'm not even ready yet."

Beca slowly turned to face Jesse and saw the slight panic in his eyes.

"Umm… I haven't had a shower yet," Jesse said slowly. "Why don't you ask Julio to drive around?...What? You want to come up?" He raised his eyes to met Beca's, looking frantic.

"Yeah ok, gimme ten minutes? Let me put something on… Ok, I see you."

Jesse cut the call and ran his hand through his mess of hair, not quite sure how he was going to play this. Beca was hurriedly putting on her clothes, already cursing under her breath.

"That was Cassie. She wants to come up," he said, his voice shaking slightly with nerves. "I'm sorry. I can't quite say no."

She was already stalking round the room, picking up her laptop and shoving in into her backpack.

"I'm sorry, baby," Jesse apologised, helping her picked up her stuff.

"No, I'm sorry," Beca snarked back. "I'm sorry I'm in the way here. Let's not do Sundays next time."

"I didn't know she's going to be early," Jesse tried to reason but it sounded too hollow.

"I just wish you tell her about us," Beca said. "You said this was a pretend thing and she'll be ok with this. Why can't you tell her about us?"

"It's complicated, Beca," Jesse answered. "You know that. The ..."

" - timing's not right," Beca finished for him, zipping up her bag. The buzzer was already ringing and Jesse was beseeching at her with his eyes. Beca huffed out an annoyed sigh.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry," Jesse apologised. "I..."

"Just shut up, put on some clothes and answer the fucking door!" Beca snapped crossly "Make sure she goes into the kitchen. I slip out while you distract her."

Jesse nodded, looking wretched as he got dressed but she was in no mood. She just avoided looking at him and when the buzzer rang again, Jesse left the bedroom to answer it. Beca could not believe she was letting him get away with this. She should be throwing a fit right about now. How could he not tell Cassie about them yet? Beca hiked her bag onto her shoulders and realised her shoes were outside. She ran out of the bedroom and Jesse was by the door.

"My shoes," she whisper yelled, pointing to her Converse shoes right next to him.

He just had time to pass them to her when the doorbell rang. Both of their eyes darted to the small closet next to the door where all the coats go. Beca wrenched the closet open and squeezed herself in. Jesse shut the door after her and Beca tensed herself up, trying to stay as still and as quiet as possible. She heard the door opening and Cassie's voice floated through.

"Morning, sweetie." she heard Cassie saying.

Beca heard Jesse saying 'hey' softly in response and there was a moment pause. Beca pulled a face in the darkness of the closet. He was probably kisisng Cassie on her cheek in greeting. She hear Cassie laughing.

"Oh my god, you are not kidding. You are a mess. You haven't even showered?"

"No. Gimme fifteen minutes. I'll be ready." Jesse replied.

"Oh, no hurry. We can just hang out here -"

Beca couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. They were moving into the apartment out of earshot. She debated on whether it would be safe to sneak out now. She didn't really want to stay here in this dark and stuffy closet and she definitely did not want to stay in the apartment when Cassie was around.

Beca rubbed her eyes with her palm. Why was her eyes stinging out of a sudden? She was getting upset, she knew it. She was upset she had to hide like this, like some fucking dirty secret. Beca huffed out an impatient breath. He must have a reason not to tell Cassie just yet. Like he said, the timing was not right. She should trust him. He wouldn't hurt her deliberately, right?

The door swung open and Jesse was on the other side, already reaching out for her.

"Cassie's in the bedroom."

Beca shrugged his hand off and slipped out of the closet. She was nearly out of the front door when Jesse stopped her.

"Baby, I'm sorry." he whispered, trying to hold her arm again.

"Jesse!" Cassie was calling out from the bedroom. They both can hear the sound of her high heels clacking on the wooden floor. "You should really fire your cleaner. This place's a ... " Beca didn't wait any longer. She was already out of the door, not even glancing back to see Jesse's stricken face.

* * *

"...This place's a mess!" Cassie walked into the living room to see Jesse standing by the door, his back to her.

"Jess? What are you doing by the door?"

Jesse took a deep breath before turning round slowly.

"I just thought I heard someone at the door," he replied.

"Oh, it must be Aubrey," Cassie replied, slowly taking off her coat and tossing it negligently onto the nearest chair.

"Aubrey?" Jesse asked in surprise.

"Yes. She's just coming up. Had to run round the corner to get some Starbucks. Did the doorman buzz her in yet?"

* * *

Beca pushed the sunglasses higher up her face. During the quick ride down the elevator, she had checked her reflection and inwardly groaned at how she looked. She quickly straightened out her clothes, ran her hands through her hair and slicked some lipgloss on. Once she stepped out of the elevator and with these huge sunglasses on, she was almost presentable. Beca gave a small smile to the friendly doorman who knew her by sight and stepped onto the sidewalk.

Right. She needed coffee.

Before she could think any more about the whole situation upstairs, she needed a huge cup of coffee. There was a Starbucks right round the corner. She'll get a caffeine hit and go Chloe will not be around and she wouldn't have to face another grilling from Chloe about her relationship with Jesse. She really didn't need that right now and Beca was sure she would have a melt down if Chloe were to get too close to the bone.

Beca was mulling over all this she nearly ran into the blonde walking out of Starbucks.

"Beca?" She recognised the voice immediately. Beca whipped off her glasses to find Aubrey Posen, standing right in front of her with takeaway coffees in her hands. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

**AN :** _Thank you for being so patient. _


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

"Beca? What are you doing here?"

Of all people to bump into at this time and place, Aubrey Posen was not expecting Beca Mitchell. They had spent a year working together all hours at RUNWAY. Aubrey liked her. She thought the tiny brunette was tough, clever and passionate. Very few people managed to keep up in the demanding role as Cassandra Harris' PA and Beca was one of them. Aubrey also knew some details of Beca's personal life. She definitely knew Beca did not live anywhere near here.

Beca had whipped off her sunglasses and looked equally surprised to see her her. "Hey Aubrey! Fancy seeing you here."

Aubrey did not missed the way Beca's eyes was darting a little wildly.

"Yes, just getting some coffee," she replied, raising the takeaway holder in her hand.

Beca nodded quickly. "Yep, me too. Coffee. I'm here for some coffee."

It took Aubrey precisely four second to give Beca a once-over. Messy hair? Check. Slightly dishevelled clothes? Check. Hickeys on the neck? Check. That slight look of shame? Check. Aubrey leaned forward, smirking conspiratorially.

"Did you have a hook up last night, Beca?" she whispered. "Because you looked..."

"What? No!" Beca shot back, her hand patting down her hair consciously.

"It's ok. You can tell me," Aubrey said, still with a smirk on her face. "Was it with that blonde guy I saw you with at the restaurant? He's pretty cute."

"Who? Mark?" Beca responded. She shook her head, looking distracted. "No, not Mark."

_So it was a hook up_\- Aubrey thought.

"What are you doing around here, Bree?" Beca asked, fumbling into her bag for her phone and her wallet.

"Oh, just meeting Jesse," Aubrey answered lightly. "You remember Jesse, right? Cassie's boyfriend? His place is near here."

"Huh? Really? I had no idea," Beca said, pretending to be absorbed in digging round her bag. She looked up and gestured to the coffees in Aubrey's hands. "Hey, you better get going or those gonna get cold."

Aubrey was scrutinising her closely but seemed to rouse herself at Beca's remark.

"Yes, I should. See you at work, Beca."

"Yeah. See you, Bree."

Without a backward glance, Beca joined the queue for the coffee. Aubrey took one last appraising look at the brunette, left the cafe and walked the two minutes to Jesse's building. She waved at the doorman, who let her in with a smile.

"Apartment 3342 please? Jesse Swanson," Aubrey said, once he let her into the lobby.

"Sure thing, miss. I'll buzz you up."

Aubrey was about to turn towards the elevators when she acted on a hunch. She reached into her LV bag and pulled out a pair of sunglasses.

"Umm... Hal?" Aubrey said, peering at the doorman's badge. "Did a small brunette lady came out of here just now? It's just I think she dropped her sunglasses just outside and I don't know whether she lives here."

"Brunette?"

"Yes, about five feet two? Curly brown hair? She was wearing a light brown coat and jeans, had a blue backpack. I just passed her about five minutes ago and she dropped her glasses." Aubrey waved the sunglasses she had in her hand. "I picked it up but she went straight into a taxi before I could return them."

Hal's face was creased with thought.

"No." he finally said.

"Oh." Aubrey replied, a little disappointed. She was sure she was onto something. "Never mind.'

"...but if you hand those sunglasses to me, I'll be happy to give it to her next time she comes," Hal continued helpfully. "In fact, you can give it to Mr. Swanson. She always visit Mr. Swanson."

* * *

**Monday morning, H&amp;H Staff canteen**

Beca read the last grovelling text from Jesse and impatiently dropped her phone face down onto the table. She was still pissed about yesterday. She was definitely not in any mood to forgive him any time soon. Let him stew. Beca picked up her fork and savagely stabbed the sausage in front of her.

"Whoa. Calm down, Beca. That thing's already dead."

Beca jerked her head upwards to find Stacie looking at her. The tall brunette picked up a forkful of salad leaves and tomatoes, chewing them carefully but her eyes never left Beca.

"Ok, what did Monsieur Dick did time round?" Stacie remarked.

Beca just huffed in annoyance. "Why do you think it's about Jesse?"

"I didn't mention any names. I could've been talking about anyone," Stacie replied laconically. "But I'm guessing it's Jesse because he's the only one that can get you all riled up like this."

That confirmed it. She was fucking transparent; Beca decided.

"Stace, what do you think about this business?" Beca asked. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" Stacie pretended to be busy drinking her Evian. "Stace, come on. Be honest."

Stacie put that bottle of Evian and leant forward on the table. "Does he make you happy, Bec?"

"Yes," Beca replied immediately. At Stacie's pointed stare, she added reluctantly. "Well...most of the time."

It was Stacie's turn to scoff impatiently.

"The girls are not too thrilled with how things are," Stacie replied. "You deserve better, Bec. You should be in a healthy relationship with someone whose proud to call you his girlfriend. What is this thing he has with CH?"

Beca took a sip of her hot tea before replying.

"They are best friends. He's helping her with something. I don't know what but it's important."

"You don't know?" Stacie spoke up, her eyebrows lifting in surprise.

Beca shook her head. "I don't want to know."

"Can you trust him?" Stacie asked.

"Should I?"

"I can't answer that question. You should know the answer by now," Stacie replied back. At Beca's frown, Stacie said,"We all can see you are happy-ish, Bec, and despite his faults, we can tell Jesse's crazy about you. We just don't like this whole secrecy thing. Daniel was a pencil dick fuckboy coward but at least your relationship was out in the open."

Beca absently stirred her tea, deep in thought and then lifted her eyes to meet Stacie's.

"What should do you think I should do?" she asked.

"I think you should figure things out," Stacie replied. "Have some time out and figure what's good for you. Are you still going on that retreat thing with Mercy Galloway?"

Beca nodded. That invite from Mercy Galloway had came out of the blue. Despite Decibel possibly folding in a matter of weeks, Beca has managed to score an exclusive interview with the former star. Mercy Galloway was a ten times Grammy and Oscar winner and everyone was still curious why she disappeared at the height of her fame. She was a recluse, ripe for a comeback and would be giving Beca her first interview in years. It was an epic scoop. The only request made was Mercy Galloway was not comfortable with a typical interview and insisted that Beca joined her in a two week wilderness retreat. No phones, no internet, no casual contact with the outside world. It was a tall order but scoops like this didn't come often.

"Perfect. You both can take some time off and think about things," Stacie smirked. "-, without both of you getting distracted, wanting to fuck each other brains out."

Perhaps Stacie was right. Maybe her mind would be clearer after some time apart.

Beca's phone buzzed again and seething slightly with irritation, Beca picked it up, intent to switch her phone off. She stopped when she saw the message and Beca furrowed her brow, reading the text.

"Jesse again?" Stacie said knowingly.

"No," Beca reply. She slowly slid her phone over to Stacie. "It's Daniel. He wants to meet up. He said it's urgent."

* * *

**In Cassie's car, on the way to H&amp; H**

_She's mad. She is so, so mad. _

_She should be. You are an idiot._

Jesse scrolled through his messages, debating whether he should send Beca another one. So far she had not replied to his last six nor did she picked up his calls the whole of last night. He fucked up yet again and for the umpteenth time, Jesse wondered how he could redeem himself this time round.

He didn't mean to panic and hustle Beca out of there so fast. She didn't deserve to be treated like that. It was just everything happened so fast and she was mad and just when he thought the coast was clear, Aubrey had came up to the apartment and casually said she ran into Beca at the Starbucks round the corner. Her eyes had swept over to Jesse as she mentioned it and he had kept a careful poker face on.

Jesse sighed, checking his phone again. No reply from Beca still

"What's eating you?"

Cassie was sitting on the other side of car seat. She was on a call with Tom Ford just now, making notes on the folder on her lap throughout the conversation. Jesse didn't realised she had finished her telephone call and had spent the last few minutes observing him. Jesse casually slid his phone back into his jacket.

"Nothing. Just thinking of work," he blandly replied.

"Complete and utter lie," Cassie shot back. "I've been watching you when I was talking to Tom. Something's bothering you. What gives?"

"Really. It's work. Lots of things happening, you know," Jesse lied. He smoothly changed the subject. "How are you bearing up? Willie giving you grief still?"

Cassie nodded. "Hopefully, not for long," she replied. "As soon as Uncle George signs over H&amp;H Holdings over to me, Wilhelmina Slater will be history."

Jesse thought about it. Yes, that had always been the plan. This whole big rigmarole with him and Cassie had been to appease George Harris Senior. Despite Cassie being a kick ass EIC and would be a formidable CEO helming H&amp;H Holdings, George Harris Senior had been a little reluctant to hand it solely over to her. Jesse knew George Harris Senior was old fashioned. In that respect and in other things.

"Cass, are we really going through with this?" Jesse spoke up.

Cassie turned towards him. "What do you mean? That's the plan, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Jesse answered. He looked down and fiddled with his cufflink. "Yesterday, Uncle George asked why we haven't move in together yet."

Cassie's head whipped up in alert.

"And he's also dropping heavy hints about me asking the question," Jesse continued, fingers still playing nervously with his cufflink.

Cassie let out a deep breath. "What did you say?"

"I said we are not ready yet. What do you think?" Jesse answered.

"Did he buy that?

"For the time being. But you'll know he's going to ask again," Jesse replied, his forehead creasing. "I don't know, Cass. Maybe we should call the whole thing off."

"You are not backing out of this, are you?" Cassie's voice was a trifle shocked. "We had a deal, Jesse. You've promised."

"I know. But -"

"But why?" Cassie questioned.

"I..." Jesse faltered. "I don't know..."

Jesse looked away, feeling frustrated. God, why did he chickened out? He knew what he wanted to say. He wanted to say everything had changed. He met a girl he was head over heels in love with and things had changed. But seeing the look in Cassie's eyes and thinking about what her family had done for her, Jesse had struggled over the words.

Cassie reached over and squeezed his hand.

"Come on, we talked about this already. It's a big deal for me and Aubrey, ok? I only ask you because I trust you, Jesse," Cassie said softly. "Look, it's only until Uncle George signs over and you'll get half of everything, Jess. That is a tonne of money. Imagine what you can do with that. You can buy anything you want. Anything."

Anything he wanted.

That was true.

With all the money from the deal, he could buy anything he wanted for Beca.

"Jess?"

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Cassie questioned. The car had came to a stop outside H&amp;H and the chauffeur was already opening the door on Cassie's side. She was still on her seat, ignoring the opened door. Her eyes were fixed on Jesse. He stifled that deep, heavy sigh and fixed another smile on his face.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. Everything's just fine."

* * *

**The next evening**

"Hey, you've made it."

Daniel rose up from his seat. Beca stood in front of him, regarding the man she once thought was the love of her life. The Italian restaurant they were meeting at was once her favourite; _their _favourite. They had quite a few dinners there when they were together and standing here, by the usual booth Daniel always booked, Beca had a flashback to her past with Daniel. The times they were snuggled in close in that booth, laughing, teasing, drinking wine until they were slightly tipsy before heading home to long nights in bed. She had avoided this place ever since their break-up.

Daniel waited for Beca to be seated before calling the waiter over.

"Do you mind me ordering?" he asked with a charming smile. At Beca's nod, he placed the order, choosing the exact starter and pasta she loved. A bottle of her favourite Chablis was already being poured. Noting her glance at the bottle of wine, Daniel smiled, "You always like that one."

"I'm surprised you even remembered," Beca said drily, picking her glass up.

"Why wouldn't I?" Daniel replied. "You are not easily forgettable, Beca."

"Funny. I thought you did a pretty good job of that," she snarked back.

Daniel's eyes softened with what looked like regret.

"I was stupid, OK?" he said softly. "I threw away what could have been the best thing that happened to me. I'm really sorry, Beca. We did have a good time when we were together, right?"

Beca took a sip of the Chablis. It was cool, dry and delicious. Just as she remembered it.

"We are not here to talk about that, Daniel," she remonstrated, her eyes chilly. "You said you have something urgent to talk about."

The waiter came back with their bread and Daniel waited until they were left alone before speaking up. "I wanted to talk about Decibel."

"What about Decibel?"

"H&amp;H is closing it down. You are going to lose your job."

"Don't you think I know that by now?"

"Yes, I thought you might," he answered. Daniel drummed his fingers, carefully looking at Beca across the table. "It's being offered for sale but there's no takers so far."

"And?"

"I think it will make a great addition to Meade Holdings. My mother had been looking for other titles to diversify in."

"Then why are you talking to me?" Beca replied, spearing an antipasto and popping into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. "You should talk to your mom."

"I will," Daniel shrugged. "But I need a little incentive."

Beca carefully put down the fork. Just in case, the next words that were to spew from his mouth was what she suspected. She didn't want to stab Daniel with it and spend a night in jail.

"What is this little incentive?" Beca said coldly.

Daniel wiped his mouth slowly with his napkin.

"Did you enjoy that?" he asked about the starter. "I remember how much you like it. You made me come all the way here from across town once just to have it. It was raining so hard and we both got so wet."

"Quit beating about the bush, Daniel and tell me what this is about," Beca snapped out impatiently.

Daniel was smirking indulgently at her and shook his head slowly.

"Man, I miss that," he said, gazing at Beca. The scowl on her face did not deter him one bit. "I really miss all that fire in you, Beca."

It took all of Beca's control to stay civil. The waiter materialised, asking whether they were finished. At their nod, the plates were whisked away and their main course were served.

"Get to the point." Beca said.

"I'm going to persuade my mother to buy over Decibel," Daniel said, picking up his fork and whirling it in the pasta.

"Yes, you've told me," Beca said sounding a little bored. "Who's going to run it? Noah had already quit." She then gave Daniel an appraising look. "Don't tell me you're going to quit MODE to run Decibel? A bit of a demotion for you, Mr. Meade. What's the matter? Can't run with the big girls?"

For the first time since she sat down, she finally saw Daniel looking uncomfortable. She had poked a raw nerve. Beca knew that. Daniel had never really stepped out of his older brother's shadow, Alex Meade was a phenomenal editor and would have been a kick-ass Editor-in-chief of MODE or future CEO of Meade Holdings. If he hadn't passed away in that tragic skiing incident.

It was all very remembered the fallout from that. Alex Meade left on Friday by private jet for a skiing holiday in Switzerland and by Monday, the newspapers were full of news of the tragedy. He went off piste along a dangerous black run. Search efforts were hampered due to the weather. His body was never recovered.

"That is a low blow, Beca," Daniel remarked.

For a moment, she felt a pinch of guilt. She knew Daniel always thought that Alex was the preferred son, the one groomed to take over. Daniel had always been the second son that partied too hard and got into trouble.

"Then stop playing games."Beca snarked back.

Daniel had begun to eat in earnest, all the while avoiding Beca's penetrating gaze. That plate of ravioli in front of her was indeed her favourite but she didn't have any appetite for it. She just want to get out of here now. Beca wondered why she even agreed to this meeting. She heard Daniel's fork clattered down and looked up to see him staring at her earnestly.

"I just want another chance with you, Beca," Daniel said. "I know how much that rag meant to you so here's the deal. Meade Holdings buy Decibel. Everyone keeps their jobs."

"You think I'm for sale, Daniel?" Beca snapped. "I rather work elsewhere."

"I know you can easily get another job, Beca," Daniel replied. "But what about Tina? And Jim? And some of the older editors with mortgages to pay and kids in school? What about them? I'm giving everyone a chance to keep their jobs."

Beca toyed with her food. All he said was true. Times were not exactly good now. She could probably tide over with some freelance work until something more concrete comes along but Beca knew some of the other staff had been working for Decibel for years and that magazine was the only workplace they knew.

"What do you want exactly, Daniel?" she spoke through clenched teeth. She knew she was dancing with the devil. Daniel wouldn't be Daniel if he did not have an ulterior motive.

"I buy over Decibel. You give us another try," Daniel said, his eyes bright like a predator. He knew he got her attention. "That's not even the best part."

Beca raised her eyes to meet his.

"I want you to be Editor-in-Chief, Beca."

* * *

****At an exclusive surgery outside Manhattan****

Wilhelmina Slater leaned back into her chair and crossed her legs elegantly. She had been waiting for some time but shoe could afford to be patient. After all, they had spent months... so many months on this little plan; what was another twenty minutes? The waiting room was comfortable enough. It should be with the prices the clinic was charging. She had been summoned to the clinic in the usual fashion. A call to her cellphone from that number and Wilhelmina wasted no time ordering Marc to change her diary to fit this appointment. She didn't care she had to cancel a major photo shoot and a meeting with two potential big advertisers.

This was more important.

Wilhelmina had been primed for this moment ever since she got the news. It was to be a life changing moment. It will be the zenith of their carefully orchestrated plans and if it all went well, that stupid Daniel Meade will be out on his ass in the streets while she, Wilhelmina Slater, will be the new Editor-in-Chief of MODE magazine.

And when she becomes the EIC of MODE, well... that bitch Cassandra Harris and that fake boyfriend of hers just better watch out.

Hmm. Shame.

He was quite pretty. She wouldn't mind using him once or twice.

There was a slight knock on the door and Wilhelmina straightened up in her chair. The caller did not wait for her to give permission to enter. She could hear the doorknob being turned and Wilhelmina leaned forward in her chair in anticipation. Nothing fazed her much but what came through the door made her gasped. She rose to her five inch heels slowly, only to aware that she was gaping openly.

A tall, blonde, curvaceous woman was standing by the door, smiling at her. She was wrapped in the luxurious dressing gown provided by the clinic but Wilhelmina could still make out the fantastic breast job done on her chest. The waist was tinier, probably by removing a rib and no doubt, if the blonde turned around, Wilhelmina would see the fabulous ass augmentation job the clinic did. The blonde's face was still slightly blotchy with surgery. Once the swelling goes down, she will have the perfect face with the perfect nose.

But still recognisable.

The face would still be recognisable. The family chin and cheekbones were still there. The face just looked a lot more... prettier.

"Alex," Wilhelmina breathed out, still spinning with surprise.

The blonde laughed, tipping her head back. The voice was slightly higher from the hormones and the surgery to shave off the Adam's apple was an unqualified success.

"Alexis," she answered. "I'm Alexis now, Wilhelmina. Alexis Meade."

* * *

**AN** : _Hi all, thank you for all your lovely reviews. Shit is going to hit the fan soon. Aubrey knows about Jesse and Beca but will she tell Cassie? Things are not smooth sailing with our OTP because what kind of relationship is it if it is shrouded in secrecy? Daniel Meade had moved in, dangling a proposition to Beca to save her beloved magazine AND offer her a coveted role._

I also used a little of Ugly Betty plotline here and Ugly Betty is a soap opera. Daniel's brother, Alex Meade, did not die from a skiing incident. He faked his own death to turn into a woman!


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

_I'm sorry._

_I'm an idiot, Beca. I'm really sorry._

_Ok, you are ignoring me because I hurt you. I get that._

_Please yell at me._

Beca read through the texts again and huffed out in frustration. She was still sore at Jesse and she was not ready for any of his attempts to win her back. At the moment, there was just too much stuff going on in her head. Too many thoughts. Too much. She could hardly concentrate on the research sh be doing on Mercy Galloway, let alone start on the questions she was supposed to be asking. Beca tried focusing back on all the Archive articles in front of her. She wrote a few notes and stopped, her fingers fiddling with her pencil.

Daniel offered to buy Decibel.

Daniel offered to save everybody's jobs.

Daniel will make her Editor-in-Chief.

His offer sounded like manna from heaven. No one else was interested in saving Decibel and the rag tag bunch of losers working there. Noah had been apologetic when he spoke to all of them at length. He would stay until the end of the month and that was it. Beca thought about Tina and Jim. As the deadline loomed, Tina had been quietly desperate. She was a single mother of three. Jim had retreated further into his shell, sometimes worryingly muttering to himself. And there were the other editors, other staff members whom Beca knew were getting more and more worried. It looked increasingly like Decibel will fold and Daniel's offer will be a lifeline for everyone. It would be a win-win situation for all.

Except for her.

Beca knew what this would mean. She would be at Daniel's mercy, especially if she accept the EIC post. She was not entirely sure whether it was too big a price to pay.

And of course, there was Jesse.

Beca nearly broke the pencil; she was gripping it so hard. She huffed out loud and tossed the pencil onto the desk. God, she could not think about this right now. She should go back to her office. Whatever the outcome was, Decibel would still have to vacate their premises and there was a mountain of clearing out to do. Beca gathered up all the past articles on Mercy Galloway in front to her, stacked them neatly into the Archive box and slung the box back where it belonged. She walked out of the Archives, tipping her head at Joe before heading towards the elevator.

Her phone was pinging yet again.

_Should I send you flowers? _

_Or a cactus?_

_I'm going to send you another cactus._

Beca scrolled through his texts. _Does__ that puppy dog ever shut up? __I __really can't deal with him right now_. She was too busy reading through the texts that she did not see who she was running into.

"Beca! Just the person I'm looking for!"

Beca's head snapped up.

Oh shit.

This could not be happening. She had been making it her mission to avoid this very person and Beca could not believe she was running into her at this very moment. She stopped in her tracks, gazing at the figure of the tall blonde in Chanel right in front of her. Aubrey was perfectly put together as usual. She had the faintly pleasant and helpful look on her face but Beca knew it was fake.

"Bree, we seemed to keep running into each other," Beca said in greeting. She slid her phone back into her pocket.

"Yes," Aubrey agreed, mouth curving into a smile which did not reach her eyes. "Except this time I am actually looking for you. They told me you'll be here. Looks like I've just managed to catch you in time."

"Good for you, Bree," Beca replied. "What can I do for you?"

Aubrey slowly swept a stray curl across her forehead before patting her perfectly coiffed hair. Her green eyes were coolly assessing the brunette in front of her.

"Beca, we've worked together before and I think we got to know each other pretty well," Aubrey started. "So...you'll know how protective I am of Cassie."

"You are," Beca agreed.

It was no secret how fiercely loyal Aubrey was.

"So.. you'll understand why I have to ask you this," Aubrey said, stalking nearer to Beca and towering easily over the brunette in her Louboutins. "What are you doing withe Jesse Swanson?"

Beca frowned at the blonde. "I don't know what you are talking about, Bree,"

"Oh, you know _exactly_ what I am talking about," Aubrey replied. "I know you are hooking up with Jesse."

"Aubrey, I don't know where you are getting that idea." Beca said, trying to sound dismissive. "I hardly know the guy."

"Don't deny it, Beca!" Aubrey spoke up, her voice rising up an octave. "I knew you just left Jesse's apartment that Sunday. His doorman confirmed you are always there. Don't act stupid with me."

Shit. Hal the doorman.

"It's none of your business, Bree," Beca muttered. She was about walk past the taller blonde when Aubrey stuck out her hand and gripped Beca's arm.

"It might be none of my business but you are doing something that might hurt Cassie," the blonde hissed. "And that becomes my business. Are you or are you not sleeping with Jesse?"

Beca shrugged Aubrey's hand off.

"I'm not saying anything," Beca replied stubbornly.

"You are sleeping with him!" Aubrey said triumphantly, noting the trapped look in the tiny brunette's face. She straightened up, a smile of satisfaction on her face. "OK, I'm going to make this easy. Whatever nonsense you are doing with Jesse, stop it right now. If you know what's good for you."

There were many times when she was working with Aubrey that Beca wanted to deck the blonde. For being too uptight, for being too bossy, for being too anal, for just being Aubrey. But it was nothing compared to what she was feeling right now.

"You're not the boss of me any more, Aubrey." Beca said stiffly.

"Oh Beca, you think this thing with Jesse is real?" Aubrey laughed. "You are just one of his playthings! He's known for it. If you knew him as long as I do, you'll know he's the type that hit it and quit it. The only constant girl in his life had been Cassie. You can't hope to compete with her."

"Then why are you so bothered about this?" Beca replied back, her eyes hard. "If you think I'm only a one off thing, why even bother to tell me to back off?"

Aubrey stopped laughing, her expression suddenly turning sober.

"He has an important deal with Cassie and I don't want him to get cold feet," Aubrey said slowly, her eyes still raking over Beca's face. "You might not believe me right now, Beca, but this is for your own good. Get the hell out while you still can."

"Aubrey, for the last time, this is none of your business," Beca said firmly.

Aubrey was shaking her head as if she could not believe how stupid and stubborn Beca was being.

"If you only knew what Jesse and Cassie is up to, you will know how much it will hurt you."

* * *

__This is horse shit.__

Beca raged internally as she stalked her way back to the office. Aubrey's words were still ringing in her head.

__Cassie is the most important thing in Jesse's life.__

__There is nothing he won't do for her. __

__He will tire of you soon, Beca. Get out while you still can.__

Beca felt like kicking the nearest wall in frustration. She shouldn't listen to all that shit the uptight blonde was saying but it was not as if Jesse had said otherwise. It was not as if he had wanted to own up to Cassie about what was happening between them. It was always not the right time. It was always to do with this stupid, mysterious deal they had going on.

Her phone pinged loudly.

__Beca, please talk to me.__

__I'm dying here.__

__Please, I really miss you.__

Beca tried to ignore those texts coming through but it was impossible. She reached her office, walking straight to her desk. Another message buzzed through her phone and Beca impatiently grabbed her phone, wanting to shut it off. The message scrolled through her Home screen

__Really enjoyed dinner last night. Hope there's more to come.__

Beca stared at the text from Daniel. And in that split second, she made her decision. She quickly typed a text back.

__Daniel, you've got yourself a deal.__

* * *

****Later on that night****

Jesse could no longer stand still. He started pacing the sidewalk, probably looking like a loony to all those waiting in the queue outside the bar. He didn't really care. Nine o'clock. Beca has said she wanted to meet up and to wait for her outside this bar at nine. Her text didn't say anything else but at least she was texting him. It was well past the time and she was not here yet. Beca had always been punctual and Jesse was a little worried now. Just when he was about to call her, the bar door swung open and with the light and music spilling out of the doorway, Beca stepped out of the bar. He stood still for a moment, just taking in the sight of the brunette coming out, in heeled boots and skinny jeans, with her hands sank deep into that cute jacket she usually wore. She tossed her hair back and looked around, finally seeing him standing waiting for her.

"Hey," Beca said as she approached him.

Jesse just gulped, nodding in response.

"Hey," he said, his throat slightly scratchy.

Beca was looking suspiciously at the flowers in his hand.

"Those better not be for me," she said dangerously.

"Umm.. no," Jesse answered, quickly shoving the flowers unceremoniously into a nearby bin. He knew she hated getting flowers but he had just bought them in a moment of panic. Beca just nodded, not saying anything else and then started walking away from the bar towards the nearest subway. Jesse hurried along beside her. When she kept her silence, just striding ahead, Jesse plucked up the courage to speak up.

"You said you wanted to see me."

"Yeah, I do." she casually replied, not breaking her stride.

"Do you want to get bite to eat?" Jesse tried.

"No. I've had dinner."

"Ok." Jesse answered, painfully aware how short she sounded. "Do you...want to go back to my place?"

"No."

The short answers were getting to him.

"Beca, stop." Jesse said, laying his hand on her arm, pulling her to a stop. "Where are we going? I thought you wanted to talk."

Beca shrugged his hand off and continued walking. "I'm on my way to another gig."

"You are working?" Jesse said, sounding a little incredulous. "I thought -"

"I have plenty to do before my trip," Beca interrupted, looking preoccupied.

Jesse knew about the trip. He was not too thrilled they won't be seeing each other for two weeks; especially if they were to part fighting like this.

"Are you still mad at me?" he asked meekly. "You were ignoring all my texts. We haven't spoken for days."

"I just needed some time out," Beca said with a tired sigh. "I got a lot of things to think about. Already Aubrey is up my ass; the last thing I need -"

"Aubrey?" Jesse said sharply. "What about Aubrey?"

Beca stopped walking and spun round to face him.

"She knew about us," she said, still. "Somehow she managed to get the information out of Hal. She cornered me down this morning and basically told me to back off."

Beca watched as Jesse stood in stunned silence. He seemed to be processing what she told him and Beca mistakenly thought she knew what Jesse was thinking.

"Don't worry. She haven't told Cassie yet," Beca said, trying not to sound resentful. "She didn't want to worry Cassie unnecessarily. Aubrey was just wanted me to fuck off and not bother the two of you."

It was Jesse's turn to stare at her.

"You think I'm worried that Aubrey will tell Cassie?"

"Well, aren't you?" Beca replied. She didn't give him any chance to reply. She didn't really want to hear the answer coming out of his mouth. "Well, you don't have to worry about Aubrey."

Jesse was searching her face, trying to work out what she was on about. She was being unusually cryptic and now she was sighing deeply like she was about to deliver some bad news. __This is when she breaks up with me__\- Jesse thought.

"I had dinner with Daniel yesterday."

Jesse never thought it would feel this bad. This sick, tight feeling in his gut like someone landed a hard blow on him that left him gasping and breathless. She met up with Daniel? Just the thought of her being within ten feet of that douchebag was making him angry; let alone her having dinner with him. Jesse felt his jaw tightened and he knew he was biting down hard on his lip just to stop himself from swearing out loud.

"Is this it?" Jesse finally said, shoving his fists into his pockets; just so she couldn't see how bad he was shaking. "Is that your way of saying you want to break up?"

"What?" Beca said, confused.

"You are breaking up with me," Jesse said, praying his voice won't crack.

"I'm not," Beca said, frowning. Her face was then laced with worry. "Do you want to break up with me?"

"God, no," Jesse cried out. He stepped forward, pulling her closer to him. She did not resist, her arms already snaking around his neck and he felt her hands pulling his face down towards hers. She was on her tiptoes kissing him and the relief flooding into his chest nearly overwhelmed him.

"I miss you so much," Jesse murmured against her lips. "Please don't be mad at me any more." Beca sank back to her feet. She was shaking her head in his chest and he hugged her tighter. "Please don't be mad at me. Ever."

"I need to tell you something," Beca said urgently. She drew back, breaking the hug and looked up at him. "I had dinner with Daniel yesterday. He had a proposition for me."

__Stay calm, Jesse __\- he sternly told himself. "What sort of proposition?"

"Claire Meade may be interested to buy over Decibel. Daniel is working on that. We have a chance to save the magazine."

Jesse knew it. That sneaky son of a bitch.

"He also promise to make me EIC. It's a terrific chance for me to turn the magazine around."

Fuck. That bastard. That slimy, manipulative bastard.

"What is he asking in return?" Jesse asked. He tried keeping his voice even but it came out a little harder than he intended.

"He wanted another chance," Beca said, not meeting Jesse's eyes. "He wanted to try again."

"No." Jesse said firmly, his usually sweet mouth twisted in a grimace.

"Hear me out," Beca said. "If I agree to this, people's jobs will be saved. I was thinking I could pretend to go along with this whole thing. And when things are stable, I'll break it off."

"No, Beca. You can't do this," Jesse spoke up. He was already turning away, not wanting her to see how much this news was affecting him. How could she expect him to allow this? This was a crazy idea.

Beca stared at his back.

"Its not going to be real," she replied slowly. " There's not going to be anything in it. It would like just you and Cassie."

"NO!"

His outburst surprised her. Jesse turned back to face her, hurt all over his face.

"This will be nothing like me and Cassie!" he declared. "Cassie and I are just friends. Daniel wants you back and it looks like he'll stop at nothing."

"I can take care of myself," Beca said hotly.

"You can only string him so far, Beca," Jesse replied back, equally angry. "What if... what if he wants more? What if he wants to sleep with you? How far will you go?"

"Don't you trust me?" Beca yelled. "You think I will fuck Daniel Meade after what he did to me?" She angrily dashed the hot tears that sprung to her eyes. "Maybe you've been sleeping with Cassie all this while. Is this what this is all about? Is that what you think I'll do?"

"Fuck, Beca. Stop it!" Jesse shouted in frustration. "I don't sleep with Cassie, alright? I've said this many times. We're just friends. That is all. Trust me on this."

"And I'm asking you to trust me on this," Beca replied, sounding a little softer. "I know what I'm doing with Daniel, ok?"

He hated this. He hated how he could not stop her if this was what she wanted to do.

"Let's not fight," Jesse said softly, wrapping his arms around her again. "I don't want to fight, Beca. I just..I just want things to be ok."

She was melting into him and with a sweet sigh, she burrowed her face into the crook of his neck. Jesse shut his eyes, just reveling in the feel of her in his arms. He really missed this. If she stays like this in his arms, everything was going to be ok.

"You've said yes to Daniel already, haven't you?" he whispered.

Beca nodded.

"It's a lifeline for Decibel, Jesse. I have to try."

"Okay." Jesse replied.

"Trust me," she mumbled softly into his neck.

Jesse could only nod back in reply, his heart heavy with worry.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 2****7**

****Previously in You Really Got a Hold on Me****

_****In Cassie's town car:****_

"_Cass, are we really going through with this?" Jesse spoke up._

_Cassie turned towards him. "What do you mean? That's the plan, right?"_

"_Yeah, I know," Jesse answered. He looked down and fiddled with his cufflink. "Yesterday, Uncle George asked why we haven't move in together yet. And he's also dropping __heavy__ hints about me asking the question."_

_Cassie let out a deep breath. "What did you say?"_

"_I said we are not ready yet. What do you think?"_

"_Did he buy that?"_

"_I d__on't know, Cass," __Jesse said. "__Maybe we should call the whole thing off." _

"_You are not backing out of this, are you? We had a deal, Jesse. You've promised."_

* * *

_****At the Archives****_

"_You are sleeping with him!" Aubrey said triumphantly. "OK, I'm going to make this easy. Whatever nonsense you are doing with Jesse, stop it right now, If you know what's good for you."_

"_You're not the boss of me any more, Aubrey," Beca said stiffly._

"_Oh Beca, you think this thing with Jesse is real?" Aubrey laughed. "You are just one of his playthings. The only constant girl in his life has been Cassie. You can't hope to compete with her."_

"_Then why are you so bothered about this?" Beca replied back, her eyes hard. "If you think I'm only a one off thing, why even bother to tell me to back off?"_

"_He has an important deal with Cassie," Aubrey said, "You may not believe me right now, Beca, but this is for your own good. Get the hell out while you still can. If only you know what Jesse and Cassie is up to, you will know how much it will hurt you."_

* * *

_****At an exclusive surgery outside of Manhattan****_

_A tall, blonde curvaceous woman was standing by the door. Wilhelmina could see the fantastic breast job done on her chest. The waist was tinier; they probably removed a rib and no doubt, if she turned around, Wilhelmina could see the ass augmentation done by the clinic. The woman's face was still blotchy after surgery but once the swelling goes down, she was going to have the perfect face with the perfect nose._

"_Alex," Wilhelmina breathed out in surprise._

_The blonde laughed, tipping her head back. "Alexis. I'm Alexis now, Wilhelmina. Alexis Meade."_

* * *

****Finally...****

****Present day, Fashion Week. ********The Closet, H&amp;H Building****

"I can't even with you right now, Beca," Stacie hissed out through a mouthful of pins.

She took one pin out and proceeded to tuck a pleat into place on the mannequin in front of her. Beca was sitting silently beside her, handing her a tape measure when Stacie held out her hand. The girls, of course, were all justifiably angry with how things turned out. When Beca confessed that she was going out again with Daniel, the horrified shrieks from the girls could be heard in New Jersey.

"I told you to take some time off and work things out with Jesse," Stacie scolded, grabbing the tape measure from Beca. "Not to go headlong into a contract with the devil! Why are you even doing this?"

Before Beca could reply, Fat Amy waded in.

"Your love life is a soap opera, Bec. It's even better than Neighbours." the Aussie woman said, flicking a button at Beca. "You are going to drive Chloe bald. She's losing hair over this. You need to get her some wigs."

"Shut up both of you," Beca spoke up morosely. "You know why the fuck I have to do this. Be helpful."

She glared at her two friends. Beca knew they were just worried but she already have her hands full trying to keep everything together. She didn't have the time to assuage their hurt feelings and all their worries.

"Have Daniel tried anything yet?" Stacie spoke up. "You guys were at it like rabbits when you were together so.."

"Stacie, no," Beca said tiredly. Did Daniel try it? Of course, he did but Beca had ways and means to stop him getting too close. She also came up with the perfect excuse. "We talked about it. I said I still have trust issues after what happened. So if he wants this, he had to take it slow."

"Good plan," Stacie said, nodding in approval. She then leaned back, looking at the piece she was working on. "What do you think, girls? Good enough for Fashion Week?"

The girls surveyed the dress.

"Beautiful." "Fantastic." "Your best work yet, Stacie."

Stacie smirked, bending over to snip at a loose thread. She had been working tirelessly for the past month and she wanted RUNWAY to have one of the best shows when Fashion Week starts tomorrow. Certainly better than what MODE will throw tonight.

"Have you heard about the last minute model switch at MODE?" Amy gossiped. "Christina over there was complaining how Wilhelmina had ordered her to change the last dress to fit a new model. There was nothing model-like by the measurements. The girl has melons as big as mine."

Amy proceeded to squash her chest melons together.

"That's weird," Beca spoke up, averting her eyes. "They don't usually switch models days before the show."

"They did" Amy piped up. "Some blonde Amazon by the name of Alexis. I heard she's stunning."

"Well, I'm going to see her tonight then," Beca said, getting up to her feet. "I've got to get ready, girls. I'm Daniel's date at the party."

* * *

**Jesse's apartment**

"Dude, why are still talking about this? Just do what's right."

Jesse had his phone propped to his ear, listening to Donald speak from two thousand miles. He was on his sofa, in his tux, waiting for Cassie's town car to arrive downstairs any minute now. The MODE invite said pre-cocktails at 6.30 p.m. and Cassie usually liked to be punctual. Donald's voice in his ear sounded almost bored; like h had said it all before. He didn't blame Donald for sounding that way. They had this conversation often these last few weeks.

"I don't know what are you waiting for?" Donald was saying now. "Just tell Cassie."

Jesse grimaced, rubbing his face with his hand. "I don't know if I can."

"Stop being a pussy." Donald had answered in disgust.

"Don, you know what's involved -" Jesse started.

"Oh, I know -" Donald interrupted him. "And I think you are stupid to agree to all that with Cassie. I know she's your best friend and you want to help but this is all fucked up".

"I can handle it." Jesse said. "It's going to be fine. Just until Uncle George signs over -"

"Is she still trying?" Donald suddenly asked. "The few attempts didn't go well, right?"

"Yeah, it took a toll on her health," Jesse confirmed. "I don't think she's going to try -"

"What do you mean you don't think?" Donald bellowed from all those miles away. "You don't mean you haven't told Cassie to stop?"

"No." Jesse breathed out. "No, I haven't."

"Fuck, boy. You are in deep shit," Donald whistled out. "Tell me. Do you love Beca or not?"

"More than life," Jesse replied, closing his eyes and leaning back onto the sofa. "I've never -"

"Yeah, yeah. You never felt this way -" Donald paused. "Look, there's two things wrong here. First, Beca doesn't know how deep you are with Cassie. If you see Beca in your future, you HAVE to tell her what's up."

"She doesn't want to know, Donald, Every time I want to talk to her about Cassie and I, she just blanks me out," Jesse answered, sighing in frustration. He didn't add how doubly hard it was now that Beca had this whole fake relationship going with Daniel. He could almost imagine Donald having a meltdown with that information

"Dude, make her listen. You have to!" Donald insisted "And secondly, you have to tell Cassie, man. Before it's too late."

* * *

****MODE Fashion week show****

****Pre-show cocktails****

It had been some time since Beca attended cocktails like this. Say what you will, the fashion rags always have a healthy budget to throw a good party. She should know. She had been to enough when she was working with RUNWAY. Despite the rock and roll lifestyle as a music editor, Decibel didn't quite have enough muscle to throw the same kind of parties.

Beca took the proffered flute of champagne from one of the waiters and took a tiny sip. She did a quick survey of the place, noting who's who in the crowd, air kissing and calling each other _da__h__lings_. Stacie would pump her for that information later and Beca did not want to disappoint. They were in the reception room just outside the main hall, having canapés and cocktails. Gold must have been the theme this year, judging by the over the top decorations. Beca saw Betty Suarez scurrying past, looking harried and she was about to stop her to say hi when she felt a hand stealing round her waist.

Daniel was next to her, his arm possessively around her.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked, his other hand holding on to a neat whisky. He was smiling down at her, slightly unfocussed eyes raking over her petite form. Stacie had squashed her in a simple two toned Stella McCartney dress. The blue top and purple biased skirt emphasised her tiny but perfect body and with her glossy dark hair, curled over one shoulder, and the diamond drop earrings, Beca looked like a star.

"You look gorgeous, Becky." Daniel complimented her.

Beca stifled that impatient snort, covering it up with a sip of her champagne. He still thought it was funny to call her Becky, even though he knew how much she hated that nickname.

"So…." Daniel drawled, leaning into her. "We've sent our offer for Decibel. Mom had been excited about the prospect. Hopefully we'll wrap up the paperwork with Legal soon and you guys can move out to the new premises."

Beca nodded distractedly, thinking how much she wanted to down this flute of champagne and several others. But Daniel had been increasingly handsy lately, especially when he was drunk and she needed to keep her wits about her.

"We are definitely moving out of H&amp;H?" Beca asked in a neutral tone.

"Yes, somewhere cheaper downtown," Daniel answered. "I'm not going to pay the extortionate rate H&amp;H is charging. The magazine still needs to make money, Beca."

"Of course," she replied blandly.

"Think about it. When you are back from your little trip, you'll be the new Editor-in-Chief," Daniel remarked, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "How fantastic is that?"

"It's great."

"Surely that calls for a celebration?" Daniel said, offering his glass tumbler. Beca clinked hers against his and they both drank. Daniel was still staring at her. "And a kiss."

Beca shook her head. "People will think I'm hooking up with you for that post, Daniel. Not because I deserve that job."

"Who cares what people think?" Daniel purred, already pulling her closer. "You are sleeping with me for the job."

And without any further warning, he ducked his head down and planted a kiss on her mouth. Her first instinct was to draw back and threw that glass of champagne into his face but Beca fought down that impulse. She stood still, letting him kissed her and slowly, she kissed him back. Daniel made a sound low in his throat, clutching her nearer. She rested her palm on Daniel's chest, letting him deepened the kiss. Let Daniel think she was halfway willing at this. She had her game plan.

She only pushed him away because she was aware flash bulbs were going off nearby. The photographers would have captured that moment. Once the glare from the flashes dimmed, Beca was conscious that they were being approached and she had to stay calm when she saw whom.

"Cassie!" Daniel spoke up, a little too loudly.

Cassie was gliding towards them, serene smile on her face and damn, did she looked spectacular. The tall brunette was dressed in a gold Oscar de la Renta dress, her hair swept into a sleek chignon. Diamonds were dripping from her ears and neck and she was glowing. Cassandra Harris looked like a picture of health and happiness and beside her, standing at her elbow like the most perfect boyfriend, was Jesse Swanson.

"You looked amazing, Cassie," Daniel complimented, leaning in to give her a hug. "Thank you for coming. I didn't think you would take up the invite."

"I had to be here. Willy will be annoyed and I can't miss seeing that," Cassie replied gaily, a grin on her pink lipsticked mouth. She seemed to notice Beca by Daniel's side and did a double take. "Beca? Is that you?" Cassie's eyes jumped between Beca and Daniel, her forehead knitted into a frown. Daniel merely smiled, tightening his hold around Beca's waist.

"Hi Cassie," Beca said, resolutely keeping her eyes on Cassie.

Cassie seemed to recover from her initial shock and smiled charmingly. "Beca, hello! Sorry, I was not entirely expecting to see you. How have you been?"

"Good, thank you." Beca replied politely.

"That dress looks really good on you. Stella's fantastic, isn't she?" Cassie said, giving her a quick once-over. She then leaned towards Beca, her face looking slightly concerned. "I heard about Decibel. I'm really sorry. I know how much you love working there."

"Well - " Beca shrugged. She quickly took a sip of her champagne and widened that fake smile already on her face.

Cassie placed a well manicured hand on Beca's arm, still with that sympathetic, slightly pitying look on her face. "If you are looking for something in between, I'm happy to have you work with me again, Beca. Just tell Aubrey. I'm sure she can arrange something."

No. Nope. Not in a million years.

"That's really kind of you, Cassie," Beca answered sweetly, gently moving away so that Cassie's hand slid off her arm. "Thank you very much for the offer. But this guy here - " She turned to smile up at Daniel and burrowed closer to him, underneath his arm. "- had been a complete hero. Decibel will be part of Meade Holdings before long so everything's good."

Cassie raised her brows, looking at both of them in turn. "That's good news. You're quitting MODE, Daniel?"

"Nope, Beca will be running Decibel. I'm still with MODE. Father would be disappointed if I abandon ship," Daniel said with a laugh. "Decibel will be my mom's project. We just made the offer. Jesse here had all of the paperwork this morning."

"Oh, where is my manners?" Cassie exclaimed. "Daniel, you would know Jesse already. Jesse, this is Beca. She worked for me some years back. Beca, this is the famous Jesse. I think I might have mentioned his name once or twice."

There was no avoiding it. She had to look at him. He was staring at her, his face a cool mask.

"We've met before." Jesse said politely. "Good to see you, Beca." He didn't offer his hand nor did she want him to. At Beca's cool nod, Jesse turned to Cassie now, whispering to her in sotte voce. Cassie listened and nodded in agreement.

"I'll see you both inside," Cassie said to Daniel and Beca. "Jesse just reminded me I need to say hi to several people." And with a quick, apologetic smile, Cassie rested a hand on Jesse's arm and let Jesse swept her away.

* * *

He didn't bargain for this.

He expected it to be difficult to see her with Daniel Meade but Jesse Swanson did not bargained for this. This sick, twisted stab in his gut whenever he spied that bastard laying his hand on her. They were kissing just now and that had felt worse. It had not been an easy two weeks. Jesse didn't really know why but ever since the deal was struck, he seemed to run into them more and more. It was awkward. Beca would always wear that cool "I've seen you around but I don't really know you" look while Daniel…. That bastard, Daniel, would always have a smirk on his face, winking knowingly at Jesse whenever Beca was not looking. It took a lot of his control not to punch Daniel in his face.

That son of a bitch had came up trumps.

The offer for Decibel from Meade Holdings was on Jesse's desk this morning and the amount offered so paltry, so pitiful that it was almost insulting. It made him so angry and Jesse had half a mind to just bin the whole thing. It was not fair. It was not fair how Beca had to do this crazy thing for such a stupid amount.

Jesse knocked back that drink he had in his hand, wishing it was something stronger. He couldn't help his eyes roaming round the room until he found her. She was playing the part of the perfect girlfriend so well. Staying close to Daniel's side, smiling so prettily at whomever was talking to her. Daniel's hand never stray far away from her. It was either round her waist, or on her shoulder or arm. He was clearly telling everyone in the room who Beca belonged to. And that made Jesse felt sick with jealousy.

It was not like they stopped seeing each other. They still do. They still ended up at his place, in his bed. He had been a little demanding lately of her, like he was trying to assure himself that she was still his. But often when she was lying asleep, curled into his side, Jesse found himself wide awake, trying not to think about this whole stupid Decibel deal. Had Daniel tried anything? Where did Daniel touch her? What was Daniel's fucking plans? How can he stop Beca from doing this? When can he tell Beca to stop doing this? It was eating into him now. He couldn't quite tear his eyes away from Beca. She looked so beautiful tonight.

"Jesse?"

Cassie was impatiently pulling at his arm and Jesse snapped out of it.

"Yes?" he responded quickly. He turned to find Cassie looking quizzically at him.

"I need another mineral water. They're only serving champagne," Cassie spoke up, still looking at him. "Can you get one for me?"

"Ok. Still's fine?" Jesse said. He was distracted again when he thought he saw Daniel checking out a blonde walking past while Beca's back was turned.

"Who are you looking at?" Cassie said, turning towards where Jesse's eyes were trained. He froze for a second until Cassie hummed knowingly and spoke up. "Yes, that Daniel Meade. Never could keep his eyes from wandering. I don't know why Beca got back together with him. After all that's he done to her."

"He's bad news, huh?" Jesse replied, playing it cool.

"The worse. Beca could do better than that. She's a really nice girl." Cassie replied. "She's a fighter, you know. Had a miscarriage, took a week off to recover and came back like nothing happened."

Fuck it. He had to do it now.

"Cassie, I've got something to talk to you about," Jesse said.

"Hmm?" Cassie replied, turning to look at him now.

"It's important. Can we go somewhere quiet?" Jesse urged. He didn't really want to spill all in this crowded, hot space where their conversation could be picked up by a hundred pairs of ears.

"Sure. Let's wait after the show and go up to my office," Cassie said. "Oh, look. They are opening the doors. We should take our seats."

He would have preferred to talk to her now but Cassie was right. There was a slight fanfare as the doors to the main hall was opened and the guests slowly drifted inside. He would just have to wait until afterwards. He also saw Beca talking to Daniel and moving away from him. In a split second, she had glanced at him before walking towards the restrooms.

"Why don't you take your seat?," Jesse said. "I'll go and get your drink."

* * *

"I just need to go to the bathroom," Beca murmured. "I'll see you inside."

She didn't for a reply and Daniel watched as Beca walked away quickly, her fantastic ass swinging in that slinky dress. He sighed, feeling a little frustrated. The main doors had opened but Daniel did not feel like going in just as yet. The show was not until another fifteen twenty minutes. He was the EIC. They all can wait. His date had disappeared and right now he needed another drink. The bar was only a few paces away and Daniel grinned as the fresh tumbler of whisky appeared in front of him. He let that alcohol burned down his throat with a grimace.

That Beca Mitchell was a cock tease.

He thought she would be in his bed, riding him hard by now. The sex had been amazing with Beca in the past. Even the thought of her, panting on top of him, sweat running down that sweet body was already making him hard. But she had been skittish, rejecting any of his moves. Ok, she did say to give her time. He did put her through hell last year, that was true but he had needs too. Daniel could not wait for the whole Decibel deal to be over. She couldn't say no when it was all in place.

If only that Jesse Swanson will hurry up. Daniel did not quite know what was up with Jesse just now. He swore Jesse was giving off these hostile vibes and if he did not know better, Jesse seemed a little jealous? That was ridiculous, of course. Jesse didn't know Beca like that and even if he did, he was Cassandra Harris' little boyfriend. Daniel nearly snorted into his drink. Yeah, sure, he's Cassie's _boyfriend_. If the rumours were true….

"Scotch. On the rocks."

Daniel didn't missed the sultry voice ordering a drink next to him. He turned towards the voice to find the tall blonde he was checking out earlier. All legs and tits and a nice ass. The blonde glanced at him, her long hair tossed over one shoulder. Daniel smiled and raised his eyebrows.

"Bob, that drink's on me," Daniel called out to the bartender.

The blonde smiled back. "Thank you," she answered. "I thought it was a free bar."

"For you, it is," Daniel flirted back shamelessly. "Someone looking like you shouldn't be paying for drinks."

The blonde laughed a low, throaty laugh. "That's nice to know. Glad to know these looks pay for some things."

"Are you here alone?" Daniel asked, moving fractionally closer.

"Does it matter?" the blonde asking, tossing back the drink easily. Daniel was immediately impressed and asked for another drink. "I'm here for the show."

"Hey, I'm the owner of the show," Daniel spoke up. "Daniel Meade. Editor-in-Chief, MODE magazine. We are having an after party. You should come."

"Thank you. I'll like that."

The blonde was smiling at him and for a moment, Daniel felt a little disconcerted. He did not think he would forget meeting a blonde bombshell like her. Her eyes looked vaguely familiar. Daniel mentally shrugged. He fucked so many models and staff he sometimes lost count. Maybe he could add this one to the list. Beca was definitely not putting out tonight.

"What did you say your name was?" Daniel drawled seductively, his mouth turned up in a half smile.

The blonde ran her hand through her hair, laughing a little before fixing those disconcerting eyes on him.

"Alexis," she breathed out, smile still intact on her pink lips. "But you may know me by another name."

"Oh?" Daniel asked, upping his flirt a notch. "And what would that be?"

"Alex. You knew me as Alex," the blonde replied. "Daniel, I'm your brother, Alex."

* * *

**AN :** _Hey, this story is finally back and I hope there are still people reading this. I actually wrote this chapter ages ago. I had to add the "previously..." because I know it's been ages since I've updated this story. You have to imagine the cheesy soapy flashback sequence._

_So news is E Banks will not be directing PP3. Not sure how I feel exactly about this. I don't really think she was a really good director and frankly while PP2 was enjoyable in parts, I felt that it was pretty pretty botched up. However, I do think E Banks is a JECA supporter. Not sure how PP3 will turn out but these two lovely characters will still be my OTP. _

_By the way, did you see Skylar Astin's Twitter being hacked? Funniest thing I saw on his Twitter feed for ages. (hangs head in shame but can't stop laughing now) Thank you all for your support. Love you!_


	28. Chapter 28

_Previously on You really got a hold on me_

* * *

_**Chapter 13, In Cassie's office**_

"_How's the doctor's appointment?" Jesse asked. Cassie shook her head, looking more drawn than ever. Disappointment was clear on her face and Jesse drew her into a hug. "Don't worry about it, babe. Plenty of time."_

"_No, we don't have plenty of time, Jesse!" Cassie raised her voice. She drew a quick breath seeing that look on Jesse's face and calmed herself down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted. I'm just so busy and those doctor's visits are not helping."_

"_You are doing all the hard work. It's tough on you," Jesse replied, hugging the tighter._

"_This is such a big thing for us," Cassie said._

_Jesse drew back to look at Cassie. "I know."_

_**Chapter 27 **_

"_I don't know what you are waiting for," Donald was saying now. "Just tell Cassie."_

"_I don't know if I can." _

"_Stop being a pussy."_

"_Don, you know what's involved -" _

"_Oh, I know -" Donald interrupted him. "And I think you are stupid to agree to all that with Cassie. I know she's your best friend and you want to help but this is all fucked up. Fuck, boy. You are in deep shit. Tell me. Do you love Beca or not?"_

"_More than life. I've never -" _

"_Yeah, yeah. You never felt this way," Donald paused. " - Beca doesn't know how deep you are with Cassie. If you see Beca in your future, you HAVE To tell her what's up."_

"_She doesn't want to know. Every time I want to talk to her about Cassie, she just blanks me out." _

"_Dude, maker her listen. You have to!" Donald insisted. "And secondly, you have to tell Cassie, man. Before it's too late."_

* * *

**Chapter 28**

**MODE Fashion Week party**

The ladies room was packed. Women were jostling round the mirror. Champagne glasses and lines of cocaine on any spare surface. Sounds of flushes going off mingling with ladies laughing and gossiping ceaselessly. It was still early and no cat fights had broken out yet. Everyone was just happy, pumped and ready to party.

Beca ignored the swirl of madness around her, coolly re-applying her lipstick. She smoothed down the fell of her hair down one shoulder and snapped her clutch shut. She took one last deliberate look in the mirror before heading out. As she turned round the corridor towards MODE Fashion Week party, a warm, familiar hand closed round her arm.

The corner of Beca's mouth lifted in a smirk. She didn't need to look up to know who it was. She knew Jesse would be waiting. She had wanted him to. She wanted him to come after her in that split second glance she gave him, and of course, Jesse didn't disappoint. He was now staring down at her, eyes already smouldering with want.

They didn't say a word.

Just a few quick glances up and down the packed corridors before hurrying away. It was so busy no one even noticed. His hand was on the small of her back, deftly guiding her to somewhere quieter. Neither Beca nor Jesse thought they could wait long enough to get to his office. The third floor janitor's closet will have to do. He was already reaching for her as soon as they slipped into the dark room. Beca almost didn't lock the door properly, distracted by the way Jesse was pressing urgent kisses along her jaw. She gave the doorknob one last twist before turning round and immediately his mouth seek hers.

"Hi. Have we met?" she murmured, smiling against his lips.

"Have we?" Jesse teased playfully. He pulled her closer, kissing her senseless and when they finally surfaced for air a while later, Beca's voice was a ragged whisper.

"Yeah. We've met."

Before she could say anything else, Jesse's lips greedily found hers again. He was finding it hard to slow down now he got her in his arms. She had looked so sexy in that two toned blue dress; one shoulder bare, her skin so creamy and pale against the blue, begging to be touched. Jesse groaned, turning his attention to that enticing shoulder. He wanted to sink his teeth into her white skin, wanted to mark her for his, wanted everyone to back off, especially that bastard Daniel Meade.

An image of Daniel kissing Beca just now flashed up in Jesse's mind. Daniel's arm around her shoulder. Daniel's hand on her waist. The way that bastard had smirked, self satisfied and smug and Jesse suddenly lost it. Beca found herself being picked up and nearly slammed up against the wall as Jesse pressed himself closer onto her. His was mouth latched on her neck, hands already searching and then palming her breasts.

She loved it.

She loved it when he was a little rough, a little aggressive. He was not coping well with this whole fake relationship thing with Daniel. Beca knew that very well and all his jealousy spilled out whenever they were together like this. Some primal part of him wanted to stake his claim but as much as Beca love all this, she knew could not re-appear at Daniel's side with lovebites running down her neck.

"No, baby. Don't," Beca murmured reluctantly, pulling Jesse's head away from her neck. "No hickeys. You can't leave any."

Jesse's mouth was in an adorable pout.

"Fine. No hickeys," Jesse conceded with a scowl on his face. "Not on your neck, at least."

His hand was running up her side, questing for the zip and when he found it, Jesse yanked it down. He made good his promise on not leaving any marks on her neck. He left it all over her breasts and her inner thighs instead.

Beca threaded her fingers through his curls, gasping at the ferocious way he was nipping at her flesh. She leant against the wall for support. Jesse was on his knees in front of her. His hands were running up and down her bare legs and he pulled down the little scrap of lace that was her panties, before latching his mouth all over her inner thighs. He left a trail of exquisite, aching bites all over. Now his mouth was moving from the tops of her thighs to her sex and Beca's head fell back against the wall. His fingers dug deeper into her ass, holding her in place as he mercilessly lapped against her folds.

Beca couldn't squirm away.

She didn't want to squirm awa but the pleasure shooting through her was too intense. She screwed her eyes tight, biting her lower lip to stop these moans coming out of her. It was useless. Her moans were getting louder and more difficult to control. Anyone walking past could hear from the other side of the door. She let go of her hand tangled in Jesse's hair and pressed her forearm against her mouth but damn it, now Jesse's tongue was darting into her.

Quick little stabs.

Slow lazy licks. From her entrance right to that bundle of nerves at the top. And the tip of his tongue now teasing and teasing and teasing until with muffled scream and a hard jerk, Beca came so hard all over Jesse's mouth.

She was stilll shaking from her orgasm when Jesse swiftly stood up. Her legs were still weak and trembling when Jesse turned her round to face the wall. He lifted her arms, pressing her palms on the cold concrete.

"Keep it up there, baby," Jesse growled in her ear.

Beca couldn't see what he was doing. Vaguely, she heard Jesse undoing his belt and zip. He was breathing heavily down her neck, his hand squeezing her ass. A throaty moan fell from her lips and seconds later, that moan changed into a hard curse. One moment, Beca felt his fingers roughly seeking her entrance, then the tip of his dick teasingly close and the next, she felt all of him slamming into her. His hardness quickly filling her up felt incredible.

Jesse didn't wait for Beca to catch her breath.

He didn't wait for her to adjust to him being inside of her. He was already withdrawing slowly, each inch of him sliding out, stroking her nerves. It nearly drove Beca insane. And he slammed into her again and again, pinning her to the wall as he fucked her hard. He had intended to tease her - hard thrusts and slow withdrawals but fuck, it felt so good to be inside her. Jesse could not help but thrust a little faster. The noises coming out of her was like a heady drug, spurring him on. His reached up to squeeze her breast. His fingers dug hard info her flesh,searching for her sensitive nipple. A hard tug and Beca keened loudly, arching herself back against him. Her hand was in his hair, fingernails scraping again his scalp.

Jesse grunted.

She felt so fucking tight, so fucking wet. And the way her nails were raking into his hair. He was so near now, his thrusts getting a little wilder. He squeezed her breast again, tugging at her nipple, willing her to come and Beca suddenly stiffened, her head pressing back hard into his shoulder. He could feel her coming. She was shuddering and tightening uncontrollably around him, her hips bucking and moving, her walls sliding and slipping against his dick. Just to prolong that delicious orgasm she was having. He could not hold one second longer and with one last thrust and a groan muffled into her neck, Jesse exploded inside of her.

They both stood panting, slumped against the wall. Jesse lowered Beca to her feet before slowly pulling himself out of her and immediately Beca felt a little emptier. She could still feel the thundering of Jesse's heart behind her and they both stayed still until their heart rate slowed down.

"What was that about?" Beca murmured once she got her breath back. Her forehead was still resting on the wall in front of her and she was glad for the coolness of the concrete against her heated face.

"Nothing," Jesse murmured thickly. "You just turned me on so much. And I'm going to miss you when you are away."

Beca nodded absent-mindedly, pulling her dress into place. She was to leave for the isolated retreat with Mercy Galloway first thing tomorrow. It was the scoop of a lifetime for Beca, landing that interview with the reclusive singer. Frankly, a scoop like that would cement her place as a serious Editor-in-Chief and Beca could already imagine how Decibel's circulation would rocket when that article comes out. She could not afford to fuck this up.

"Whose sending you to the airport tomorrow?" Jesse asked. "Can I come?"

"No," Beca said, running her hand through her hair and reaching for her clutch. She should go back to the ladies. The janitor's room was dim and she couldn't see much from the tiny compact she had and she needed to freshen up. "I'm taking a cab."

"So I'm not going to see you for two weeks and I can't even send you to the airport," Jesse whined. He wasn't happy. That was pretty obvious. "Are you sure Mercy Galloway's people said no phones?"

"No. Mercy was very particular about that. No phones, no emails, nothing that would interrupt the retreat," Beca sighed. "If I don't fuck up this scoop, Decibel is going to be in a good place when I take over."

"Beca, you don't have to do this," Jesse said. He held her head in his hands and stared into her eyes. "The Meade's offer for Decibel is not worth all this shit."

"We've talked about this, Jesse," Beca sighed in frustration. "It's going to be fine. There's no other way -"

"There is. There might be another way," Jesse spoke up. "But you'll have to trust me."

"You know I do," Beca said. He had a strange expression and Beca's hands closed over his. "What is it?"

"I -" Jesse started. He then clamped his mouth shut and pressed his forehead onto hers. "God, I love you so much. Please remember that."

Beca wondered why he stopped. He was about to tell her something but he stopped. It had to do with Cassie. It must be. She slid her hands round his neck, turning her face to gently kiss him on his lips.

"I love you too," Beca whispered.

If she had a choice, she just wanted to stay like this. Fuck all this. Fuck Daniel. Fuck Decibel. Fuck Cassandra fucking Harris. She just wanted to stay here with Jesse's arms around her. His phone started to ring and almost to the next second, hers began to ring. They would have ignored it but the calls kept coming and Jesse yanked out his phone in annoyance, glaring at the screen.

"What the -" Jesse said, frowning at the texts coming in thick and fast. "Beca -"

Beca's face creased as she scrolled down through her messages. "Fuck. What the hell is happening? These are not making sense."

"Something big's happened," Jesse said, his eyes glued to his phone. "We've got to go."

* * *

He was about to let her leave and follow maybe five minutes later to avoid anyone seeing them together but there was no need. Something huge was happening right now and they could have walked naked hand in hand carrying a tiger cub and no one would bat an eyelid. By the time both of them appear at the entrance to the MODE party, it was chaos inside.

There were so many people.

So many people in that small space.

Where it should be neat rows of people sitting down alongside the runway, it was a mad jangle of noise and bodies, circling the runway. Even security was not able to barricade against the wave of people surging forward. Press. Photographers. Camera crew. And was that the police? People were jostling. Rushing. Shouting. Flashbulbs exploding. The din was exponential.

Jesse held Beca close because if he didn't, she was going to topple over in the mad rush. Beca pressed herself closer to Jesse, trying to make sense on what she was seeing right now. She cursed under her breath - she was far too short to see what was happening but vaguely, through the mass of bodies, she could make out the police leading someone away in handcuffs. The police cleared a pathway through the crowd and Beca caught a glimpse.

Was that Bradley Meade? Why was Daniel's father in handcuffs? Why were the police taking him away?

She had met Bradley Meade often when she was going out with Daniel. Beca remembered how charming and attentive. Bradley Meade was when she had dinner with them at the Meade Mansion. Beca could not think of any possibility why he was being arrested. And the reporters jostling to get nearer were shouting strange questions like "Mr. Meade! Did you have an affair with Fey Sommers?" "Did you kill Fey Sommers, Mr. Meade?"

Fey Sommers? Fey Sommers died in a car accident last year. What was happening?

Beca didn't have time to process this new information because another shout went up from the runway and immediately the horde of press and photographers swung their attention towards the ruckus. There was a fist fight onstage. Beca watched in horror as she saw Daniel grappling with a tall blonde woman. He had his hands round the blonde's neck, strangling her.

"What the fuck's you've done, Alex?!" Daniel shouted, his face red with rage. "What the fuck you've done to our family?! You are NOT my brother, you fucking cunt!"

Alex?

But Alex was dead.

And that person on stage, who was hitting Daniel back equally hard, was a woman.

This was far too surreal.

Beca saw Betty Suarez right in front of her and immediately, Beca grabbed the brunette from behind. Betty would know. She was Daniel's PA and would have witnessed the whole thing. When she whirled Betty around, Beca noticed something else.

"Betty! Are you ok?" Beca said, shaking the girl a little forcefully. Betty was looking very distressed, her face contorted in horror and her glasses skewed on her face. When her eyes finally focused in Beca, Betty immediately grabbed Beca's arms.

"Beca! Thank God!" the girl squeaked. "Please! You've got to help Daniel!"

"What happened?"

"It's Alexis," Betty replied still visibly shaking. "Alex's not dead, Beca. Alexis..she said SHE is Alex."

"Alex? That's Alex?" Beca choked out in disbelief, her eyes jumping to the tall, blonde woman onstage. Loud shouts and curses were still coming from the runway. "Did he -"

"Yes, he had surgery," Betty answered. "The whole skiing accident was staged. Alex is Alexis now, Beca."

Beca's jaw hit the floor. The brawl between Daniel and the tall, blonde Amazon came to an abrupt halt when Security separated the two. Daniel was struggling to break free, swearing worse than a sailor and the blonde was at the opposite side, being held back by Wilhelmina. Willie was urgently talking to Alexis but Beca could not make out what she was saying above the noise.

"Jesse, I think you'd better go," Beca said firmly. She nodded slightly towards the stage. Jesse got the gist, murmured something inaudible about finding Cassie and promptly left.

Beca also noticed that Betty's eyes were darting wildly between her and Jesse and before she could ask any awkward questions, Beca grabbed her arm and propelled her forward.

"What happened to Mr. Meade?" Beca shouted they waded through the thick crowd to get to Daniel. "Why are they arresting him?"

They were jostled by the crowd and Betty was squashed up against her.

"Alex did that," Betty replied, trying to keep her balance. "After admitting he.. she had a sex change, Alex said Bradley Meade murdered Fey Sommers. There was a tonne of evidence. The police were already here. It all looked planned, Beca!"

They were finally in the thick of things and it was too chaotic to dig more information out of Betty. Security was still containing Daniel but Beca was let through. Daniel was slumped over a chair, all fight gone out of him and when Beca called out to him, Daniel turned towards her.

He looked wretched.

Defeated, bewildered and wretched.

Daniel just held out his arms to Beca and when she came closer, he hugged her tightly round her waist, burying his face into her chest. She was probably the only thing that made sense to him right now. Beca patted him awkwardly on his shoulder, her eyes meeting Betty who stood beside her.

Even if this relationship was fake to her, Beca could not help feeling little sorry for him. The Meade family dynamics had always been complicated. Claire Meade, Daniel's mother, was the one with the money and a raging alcoholic, largely because her husband was having a blatant affair with Fey Sommers, former EIC of MODE. Fey died last summer in a car accident and Alex was poised to take over before that tragic skiing accident. They never recovered Alex's body and in hindsight, that should have been suspicious. Then Daniel took over as EIC of MODE, a role he was not qualified for. Now Alex was back as Alexis, with Willie by her side and Bradley Meade was accused of murder.

What the hell was happening and where do Wilhemina fit in all of this?

* * *

From the other side of the room, Jesse watched as Beca spoke urgently to Betty. Betty was nodding, pushing her spectacles up and before long, they were leading Daniel out of the room, away from all the intrusive press. The Meade family would do some damage limitation but if Willie was mixed up in all this, it was be harder to get help from the PR team in MODE to smooth things over. Jesse had his suspicion that it was going to be a long night for Beca. For the umpteenth time, he wished Beca didn't need to be entangle in all this.

Jesse sighed.

If he plays his cards right, Beca wouldn't have to be. She could say "fuck you" to Daniel, still be the EIC of Decibel if that was what she wanted and they could be together. If he plays his cards right, that is.

His phone was ringing and looking at the caller ID, Jesse knew he could not ignore it any longer.

"Where the hell are you?"

Aubrey's voice rang through clear and spitting angry. Only one thing could make that ice blonde lose her temper.

"Aubrey? What's up?" Jesse replied coolly, trying to buy some time. His eyes swivelled round, hoping to find Cassie. He was sure Cassie would be here. He left her there just now and Cassie wouldn't want to miss all this drama.

"Come up to Cassie's office now!"

"What?" Jesse replied, a little confused. Aubrey wasn't supposed to be here. It was after office hours and she would be at home, not in Cassie's office. "Are you there now?"

"I heard all hell broke loose at the RUNWAY show. Cassie called me after she couldn't find you," Aubrey said tersely. "It's a good thing I was nearby."

"What's wrong? Cassie's fine, right?" Jesse interjected, a little worried now.

"She's - Look, just hurry up and come up here, ok?"

* * *

The ride up as Interminable. By the time Jesse reached RUNWAY offices, he had several horrifying images of what might have happened and he couldn't help but felt a little guilty. The Reception desk was unmanned and the office was empty but Jesse knew his way round. Only Cassie's office was lit up and he made his way there. When he appeared at the doorway, Jesse heaved a sigh of relief.

Cassie looked fine.

In fact she looked more than fine. She was sitting down on the sofa, arguing with Aubrey who was standing over here. The blonde was in jeans and white shirt, her face worried, one hand pressing down on Cassie's shoulder. Cassie had a slightly pissed off look on her face.

"For the last time, Bree, stop all this fussing!" Cassie was saying. "I'm fine."

"No," the blonde said flatly. "Remember what you've said on the phone? Those fucking photographers were jostling you about."

"I panicked a little but I'm fined now." Cassie answered.

"I've already called Dr. Levenstein. She'll be here in half an hour."

"There's no need to call Shirley," Cassie said, looking more and more pissed. She picked up her phone and started to furiously tapped on the screen. "What do we know about MODE? Is anyone saying anything? Now Alex's back and Bradley Meade's in jail, what's going to happen? What will this mean to RUNWAY -"

"Oh for fuck sake, Cassie! Put that phone away," Aubrey scolded, snatching the offending item out of Cassie's hands.

"Aubrey!" Cassie yelled, trying to get her phone back.

"For once, can you stop thinking about the magazine?" Aubrey screeched back, refusing to give back Cassie's phone. " Can you think about your health? Dr. Levenstein strictly said you are not to be under stress. Especially after what happened - you know what? That's it! We are not waiting for the doctor. I'm driving you to ER right now."

"Whoa. What's happening here?" Jesse spoke up.

The two women looked up to where he was standing by the doorway, finally realising his presence. Jesse's eyes jumped from the brunette sitting down n the sofa and the blonde standing up.

"Oh. Look who turned up," Aubrey huffed before Cassie could say anything. "Where were you just now?"

"Bree, Jesse must have something he need to do -" Cassie spoke up.

"Yes, probably fucking some slut in the janitor's closet," Aubrey sneered, her green eyes hard. "Seriously can't you keep it in your pants for an hour?"

Jesse felt his face growing hot at that jibe but he keep his face composed, stepping closer to Cassie instead. To him, the brunette looked fine. Maybe just a little tired with all the excitement.

"I didn't plan the whole Alexis coming out party, Aubrey. How am I supposed to know all this would happen?" he spoke up, keeping his voice calm. He stepped closer to Cassie. "Cassie said she's ok. She looks ok. You should listen to her, Aubrey."

Cassie was nodding her head but Aubrey hissed, "It is not Cassie I am worried about!"

"Aubrey, you are not making sense," Jesse said.

"Tell him." Aubrey said, looking at Cassie now.

"Bree -" Cassie started.

"Cassie, tell him now!"

Jesse stared at both women, not comprehending. "Tell me what?"

Aubrey looked furious. Cassie sighed a little and looked up at Jesse.

"I was waiting for the right time to tell you," Cassie said. The heavy look on her face lifted and her mouth turned up into a beautiful smile. "We did it, Jesse. We finally did it."

When he reflected back on this moment many months later, this was exactly the moment when Jesse felt the world fell underneath his feet. In this room. On this night. With Cassie sitting on the red sofa looking up at him and Aubrey standing over her. He didn't need to hear to next few words. Cassie's face glowing with happiness was all that he needed to confirm what was actually happening.

"I'm pregnant, Jesse. You're going to be a father."


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: **_Hi, apologies for using such a cliche plot twist. It is not as you think. Please put down your pitchforks. It is always JECA endgame for me. Always._

* * *

**Chapter 29**

It was a long night for Jesse.

He didn't know what time was it. It must be just after 2.00 am but it felt like a lifetime. Jesse leaned back against the wall, contemplating the night sky and took a drag out of the cigarette he had in his hand. What happened tonight seemed like a bad dream but the rough feel of the bricks behind him, the slight chill in the air and the acrid smoke filling his lungs right now felt real enough. He had not smoked in years. He kicked the habit a long time ago but with all that was happening, Jesse badly needed one.

Cassie was pregnant and it was definitely his.

There was no doubt about that. Cassie was not one to pull a fast one on something as important as this. To say he was surprised at the news was an understatement. Jesse had reeled back in shock when Cassie had dropped that bombshell. It made him numb and then so many thoughts and feelings came flooding through him that he needed a seat. It was easier to focus on what needed to be done at the moment rather than try to come to terms with this huge news. So Jesse insisted yes, Aubrey was right - they should go to the hospital just in case.

Dr. Shirley Levenstein came to the hospital as quickly as possible and before long, Cassie was admitted and checked over. The doctor confirmed everything was OK, a night's stay under observation would be recommended and would they like to see the baby? That had been a little too much for Jesse. A couple of hours ago he had no idea about this baby and now he was hearing the galloping beat of a tiny heart and a barely recognisable shape on screen.

He had to go outside.

Cassie was in capable hands so Jesse had wandered out, got himself a pack of cigarettes and was now chain smoking. The smoke burned into his lungs. It tasted awful on his tongue yet he needed that nicotine hit to calm his nerves. As the cigarette burned with every draw, Jesse tried to make sense of the jumble of thoughts in his mind.

Was this what he wanted?

Did he really want to be a dad?

Will he make a good dad?

It was too late to think about all these now. Like it or not, he will be a father and he would have to try and be the best dad he could be. Jesse ran a hand through his hair, scratching his scalp hard. When Cassie suggested they do this last year, it made sense. It made fucking sense then. He didn't have anyone. He didn't think he would meet anyone. Cassie and Uncle George were the closest thing he had to a family and a small part of him did yearn to be a part of one. Cassie was his best friend, he owed so much to Uncle George and this would make everyone happy. It made sense months ago.

Until he met Beca, that is.

It all made sense before he met Beca.

His world had turned upside down since he laid his eyes on that tiny brunette and frankly, Jesse wouldn't want it any other way. He should have seen it. It was more than sex. He finally found someone he wanted to be with all the time. He finally found someone he would do anything for and deep in his heart, Jesse knew she was the one. But it was all so fucked up now. So so fucked up.

"Hey."

Jesse looked up to find Aubrey standing a few feet away from him. The blonde had her arms crossed in front of her chest, more from the chill than any sort of hostile gesture. She looked a little tired, make-up rubbed off her face and hair hastily pulled into a messy ponytail. Very unlike the obsessively neat and composed person she usually was.

"I thought I'll found you here," Aubrey said.

Jesse took another puff from his cigarette, sucking it through his teeth and exhaling slowly. "What do you want, Bree?"

"Nothing," the blonde said, coming a little closer. "Got any spare?"

Jesse was slightly taken aback by that. He never figured Aubrey as a smoker. Aubrey was looking at him and Jesse handed her the nearly crumpled pack. She took one and he helped lit it up before Aubrey stood beside him, taking a long drag. She exhaled; the stream of smoke clouding in front of her face.

"I shouldn't do this. It's a filthy habit," Aubrey remarked before taking a few more puffs. Jesse didn't reply and after smoking in silence for a few minutes, Aubrey spoke up. "You ok?" Her voice was uncharacteristically soft. It was somewhat weird. They were never the best of friends before nor were they particularly close. They were only in each other's orbit because of Cassie. At Jesse's persistent silence, Aubrey sighed and spoke up again. "Listen. I know this is somewhat a surprise..."

Jesse scoffed, "Really? You think?"

"When we found out, I wanted to tell you," Aubrey soldiered on, ignoring the sarcasm in Jesse's voice. "But Cassie insisted we didn't. Not until everything was stable, at least. You can't blame her, really, could you? After what happened before, Cassie wanted to be sure before she tells you."

Jesse rubbed his face in exasperation.

"I know. I got that bit," Jesse said. He took one last drag out of his cigarette before stubbing it out and turning towards Aubrey. "What I don't get is why no one tell me she was trying again. Cassie had such a bad time from the last one. She was not supposed to do this again."

"Yeah, we should have told you. I'm sorry about that," Aubrey replied with a little remorse. Aubrey turned towards Jesse, her face serious. "But it's all ok now. Cassie's fine, it all looks ok and in seven months, we're going to have a baby. Isn't that exciting?"

Jesus Christ.

He was going to be a dad in seven months.

Jesse was too consumed with shock to listen properly to Aubrey droning on beside him.

"There's so much to do," the blonde said in between puffs of her cigarette. "Thank god Fashion Week will be over soon. The first trimester will be over by then and things will be more stable. We just need to work out when to make the big announcement. The Meade saga will probably take over the headlines for a couple of weeks at least. So maybe we can say something about the pregnancy after the engagement but before the wedding -"

"Wedding?" Jesse's head whipped up in surprise when Aubrey's word filtered through.

Aubrey glanced irritably at him.

"Yes. Wedding," she intoned flatly. "That was part of the deal, wasn't it?"

Jesse suddenly felt he needed a drink. Or two. No, a whole bottle at least. He definitely needed something much stronger than a cigarette now.

"I've gotta go," Jesse stuttered. He hurriedly straightened up, his face twisted with panic. "I've gotta..I..." He broke off and took a deep breath. "I've gotta be somewhere else, Aubrey. Please tell Cassie I'll see her tomorrow."

* * *

She was late. She was fucking late and she nearly missed her freaking flight.

Beca jammed the sunglasses onto her face and tugged her cabin bag behind her towards the departure gate. She had spent forty-five minutes in the cab, praying she would make her flight. It was close and it was her good luck that traffic to the airport was ok this morning. The taxi had screeched to a halt outside and she had to run to check-in desk, barely making it. Now she only had to find Mercy Galloway's rep. Mercy's people would be waiting and shit, she could not believe she had been so foolish to be late.

It had been a long night.

As much as she hated all the drama, Beca had no choice but to help with the Meade mess. Daniel was almost catatonic with shock. Claire Meade did nothing but steadily drink herself to a stupor as the news broke on tv. It was up to Betty Suarez to sort out the unholy mess and Beca had to help. It was not until 2.30 in the morning before Beca had staggered home. She had to pack. The taxi was picking her up in a few hours but in the midst of all packing, Beca fell asleep on top of her clothes. If it had not been for Chloe banging on her door to wake her up and packing her bag whilst she had a quick shower, Beca would have missed the flight entirely.

Beca spied the tall guy whom she knew as Mercy's PA by sight. The guy with the dreadlocks and dressed in a smart suit was glancing irritably round and Beca just knew he was looking out for her.

"Hey. Good morning. Jerrod, right?" Beca walked up to him, putting on the cheeriest smile she could muster. Inside she felt like crap.

The tall guy didn't bother answering her question.

"You're late," he grumbled.

"Yeah. Traffic," Beca answered weakly.

"Follow me. I'll bring you through, " the guy said, dismissing her weak ass excuse. "But first, you've got the brief. Hand over all electronics and your phone, please."

Beca stifled her sigh at that. Yeah, she got the memo and reluctantly handed over a bag containing her iPad. She didn't bother bringing her laptop nor trying to hide anything in her luggage. This guy probably do a cavity search and kick her off the plane if he found out. Beca was about to hand over her phone when she noticed the missed calls, all from Jesse. She must have been in deep sleep to miss them. Even with Mercy's PA glowering at her, Beca quickly unlocked her phone and retrieved the messages. He could wait. Jesse might have something important to say.

Jerrod was tapping his foot impatiently as Beca listened through her messages. She was frowning, thumbing through the messages quickly.

"Miss Mitchell -" the PA spoke up, pointing at his watch.

"Just a sec," Beca replied, putting up her hand. "I just need to do this quickly."

She ended the messages and immediately dialled Jesse's number. It rang and then beeped into his voicemail. Beca glanced at the impatient PA, who looked ready to burst and turned her back to speak into the phone.

"Hey baby, Sorry I didn't pick up my calls. Bad night last night," she whispered. "I can't make out what you are saying, dude. How drunk were you" A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she thought about Jesse drunk dialling her. "Umm.. I love you too, okay? Very much. I'll call when I get back."

"MISS MITCH-" the tall man was saying.

"Yeah ok," Beca replied, ending the call and handing over her phone. "Here. All yours."

As she jogged to keep up with Jerrod's long strides, she couldn't help that smile which was now firmly anchored on her face. Jesse was so, so drunk. He was slurring and emotional and left probably like fifteen messages for her. He was probably sleeping off the whisky right now and would wake up with a hell of a hangover. Beca wanted to laugh out loud at how Jesse would wake up and give himself a facepalm at all the ridiculous messages he left for her. He's gotta be drunk. Why else was he saying how much he love her, over and over and how much he wish she had his baby?

* * *

**Two weeks later**

"H&amp;H, please hold."

"Hello, H&amp;H, please hold."

"Good morning, H&amp;H, what can I do for you?"

It was the usual type of morning and Fat Amy deftly pressed through one call after another. The lights blinking on the console didn't faze her and she was twirling a curl of her blonde hair as she listened.

"Amy? Is that you?"

"Hey, Rex," Amy replied once she recognised the voice. It was Rex, one of reporters always on a lookout for a scoop. He was a little eager and could be too much to handle sometimes but unlike other sniffing reporters, at least Rex knew Amy was the gatekeeper and he should butter up Amy nicely.

"Aww Amy, you still recognise me?" Rex laughed. "What are you doing there still? You should be lighting up Broadway, baby."

"Yeah, still working on that. Got a part off-Broadway. Guys and Dolls, I'm playing Sarah. " Amy said, filing her nails slowly now.

"When's opening night? I'll get front row tickets just to see you."

"Cut to the chase, Rex," Amy replied. "You didn't call to check on me. What do you want?"

"Ok. You've got me," Rex confessed. "There's rumours something big is dropping soon and I was just wondering whether you knew."

"You've missed it, boy," Amy replied, shaking her head. She glanced cursorily at the blinking lights and ignored all of them. "The whole Meade thing happened like ten days ago. Where were you?"

"No, no. That's old news. Father in jail, big brother had gender reassignation, staged a coup and now little brother now working in some low rag called Player. Nah, that's definitely old news. I heard something's brewing up in RUNWAY."

"No idea, dude. What you've heard?"

"Has to do with Cassandra Harris. If you hear anything, can you give me a shout?" Rex said. "Maybe we could do dinner sometime?"

"Not unless you shave your pubes, boyo," Amy replied, her finger hovering over the disconnect button. "Last time I couldn't find the goods. Do a bit of trim and call me back." She jabbed the disconnect button, just barely hearing the sputtering coming from the other side. Not that she care. Amy calmly went back to her other call. "CR? You still there, baby?"

"Still here."

"So that was Rex. Remember that guy with the Amazon forest down there?" Amy said. "He wanted a scoop on RUNWAY but I know he just wanted me to dive down there." Amy stopped for a moment, mulling over what had happened the last few days. "What IS happening up in RUNWAY? I had to sign so many floral deliveries today. And you know how much I hate to do work."

"I dunno," CR replied. "Only thing I knew they wanted to insert something in the print last minute. Not in the main section, just the editorial and the announcement page. Super urgent. They are sending the proofs over by bike. Does know Stacie anything? Ask Stacie."

"Nope. She didn't know anything," Amy answered, scratching her temple now. "But she said Cassie just called her up for a meeting out of the blue. Not the usual editorial one. Just her."

"We'll find out later. Stacie will tell us," CR stoically said. "Hey, we are still on for tonight? Beca's back, right and Chloe wanted to go for drinks?"

"Yeah. Any excuse for a party. Red's getting all excited," the blonde replied. "Beca should be landing any moment now. Don't tell her but I sort of miss the B-meister. I don't know how she could go offline for two weeks -"

"Hang on. The bike's here," CR said. "That must be the new pages they want to change. Gimme me a moment."

Amy heard CR putting down the phone and whilst waiting, she answered a few calls out of boredom. Something must be happening up in RUNWAY. She just fielded two more calls and now Amy was curious.

"Amy?" CR voice came through the line.

"Yeah."

"I've got the proofs in front of me. The extra pages Cassandra Harris wanted printing."

"Hmm? What is it?" Amy answered lazily. "Some new hot designer? New advertiser?"

"No," CR responded. "I think we need to call Chloe."

* * *

"Hi Andy. I've got a two o'clock with Cassie."

Stacie Conrad stood by Andy's desk, slowly taking out the files she had tucked under her arm. She was a little early but she liked it that way. It gave her time to gather her thoughts, especially since this meeting was a little unexpected. Andy had called down this morning, saying Cassie needed to see her and to bring sketches or mood boards from previous wedding issues. That was a little strange. They had put the wedding issue to bed already so it was a little odd Cassie wanted to see them again. Stacie shrugged. Maybe they have a new sponsor and needed to change the pages? That was the only thing she could think of.

"Hey Stacie," Andy spoke up, smiling at the tall brunette. "Go on in. Cassie's expecting you." Seeing Stacie glanced at Aubrey's empty table, Andy said. "Aubrey's in there too."

Stacie walked through the hallway and deferentially gave the knock on the door. She heard the "Come in" and opened the door to find, Cassie standing by the window, staring out while Aubrey was leaning against Cassie's desk. Aubrey looked a little upset. Aubrey looked up, seemed to gather her thoughts and straightened up. "Well, Stacie's here. Let's get to business."

Stacie looked at the two women and carefully stepped in, files in her hand.

"Hi Cassie, you've asked me for these," she tentatively said, holding the files out.

"Yes, thank you." Cassie strode over, taking the files from her and rifling through them. She paused at two or three sketches and then showed them to Aubrey. "What do you think?"

Aubrey nodded silently, seeming to struggle to speak and then she huffed out loud. "Let me see them." She was poring over the ones Cassie chose whilst Cassie turned round towards Stacie.

"I need measuring up," she said simply.

Stacie didn't comment, already moving closer, her hand reaching for her trusty measure tape she kept with her at all times. Cassie asking her to measure her up was not unusual. As EIC of RUNWAY, Cassie was always impeccably dressed in couture. It was Stacie's job to make sure whatever clothes Cassie had on fit her perfectly. She knew Cassie's measurements by heart.

Cassie stood still as Stacie went round her.

"I think these are not suitable," Aubrey spoke up, waving the sketches she had in her hand. "Maybe something in an empire cut? Or a full skirt? Vera or Viviene would be happy to do one for you. These designs are for too slinky."

"It depends how fast we can pull this wedding together, Bree," Cassie commented. "I'm not showing yet and we could get away with a small bump if Stacie does her magic. Whoops – Stacie you okay?"

Cassie looked at Stacie with concern. The brunette has stumbled, dropping her tape measure.

"Sorry," Stacie mumbled, hastily picking up the tape. "Just dropped my tape." She went back to diligently taking Cassie's measurement. She broke off, frowning as she made some notes on a yellow pad. "You went up a cup size. And your waist..."

"Yes, I know," Cassie replied with a smile. "You'd better add in a few more appointments in the diary, Stacie. I'm going to need a wardrobe overhaul in the next few months. Jesus, I wish someone warned me about these changes. My clothes are tight already."

"Are you pregnant?" Stacie said, looking at Cassie for confirmation.

"Yes!" Cassie confirmed happily. She glanced over at Aubrey who was giving her disapproving looks. "Chill out, Bree. The news leaked out already – just look at all the flowers today. Stacie needs to know. She's in charge of my wardrobe and I need her to work with whomever we've decided on the wedding dress."

"Congratulations," Stacie said a little numbly, avoiding Cassie's eyes and concentrating on her tape measure.

"Thank you." Cassie replied. "By the way, Aubrey, did you rush that proof off?"

"You know I did," Aubrey replied woodenly. "As soon as you've signed it off. It should be with the printers now.

"And did you tell Jesse the engagement announcement will be out in the New York Times tomorrow?" Cassie continued. "I don't know what's wrong with him. He's so out of it lately, I'm not sure he even register where we are having the ceremony. The church was perfect -"

"I'm done," Stacie spoke up brightly, stepping away and quickly hanging her tape measure round her neck. It took all her control to keep her face neutral. "Do you have any more ideas about the gown? I can.. I can look at some past -"

"There's a photoshoot we did two years ago with a vintage Dior," Cassie was speaking now. Stacie hardly heard the whole sentence. Just isolated words which were stamping hard into her brain. "...lace arms… scuptural..."

"I think I know which one," Stacie said, gathering her files. "I'll go look it up and send it through."

And very unlike her, Stacie didn't wait for Cassie to dismiss her before she fled from the office. She could hardly kept her thoughts in order as she marched to the elevators and stabbed the button for the main reception. Amy was looking up at her from behind the reception desk as soon as the elevator doors opened.

"Dude, you've got to look at this," Amy immediately said as soon as she saw her.

Stacie came round and stare at Amy's screen. It was the proof for the new pages. CR had scanned and send them a copy. It was a two page spread. Various press pictures of Cassie and Jesse, arm in arm at some party or another and one official posed photograph by RUNWAY, Jesse staring at the camera, standing behind Cassie his arms wrapped round her and her arms over his, proudly displaying the huge engagement ring on her finger. The ring Stacie saw close up as she measured Cassie just now.

"They are engaged?" Amy whispered, looking up at Stacie.

"Looks like it," Stacie breathed out, holding on to the back of Amy's chair for support. "And that's not all. Cassie's pregnant. Cassie's pregnant with his baby."

* * *

"Where the hell is she?"

They were now in The Closet. Amy had abandoned her post, crying she had a headache but she legged it downstairs to The Closet as soon as they found someone to man the reception. Stacie was frantically trying to get in touch with Beca.

"She's still not picking up her phone," Stacie cried out in frustration. "She should have landed by now. Wasn't she supposed to be back today?"

"That's what Chloe said," Amy replied, jabbing the re-dial on her phone. "She's been trying to get through to Beca. Fuck, this thing's a mess."

"We've got to get her. I don't think she knows," Stacie said, rubbing her aching temple. "That fucker Jesse Swanson. I knew he was trouble. Fuck! Where is he? We should go and castrate that bastard. Is he upstairs?"

"Nope. First place I've checked. I was ready to go full Kraken on that useless piece of shit."

"Do you know where he is? Did his PA say anything?"

"Hang on." Amy quickly dialled the extension to Jesse's new PA. "Hey, Martha. It's Amy. Umm...I'm still trying to track Jesse Swanson down. There's an urgent delivery for him...Yeah, I know you said he had the rest of the day off. Any idea where he went?… Oh, ok. Right, that's fine. I'll catch him later."

Amy put down the phone and looked up at Stacie.

"He's not in the office," Amy said. "But Martha said she had to call a town car for him just now. He was heading for the airport."


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: ** _Written while half asleep, watching the Olympics. Sorry this chapter is so long and thank you so much for your support, reads and reviews. Really love you all._

* * *

**Chapter 30**

Stacie was nervously biting her well manicured nails. Something she never, ever do. Her nails were precious to her and under normal circumstances, she would not disfigured them even in times of stress. Not even when she accidentally ripped that important vintage Chanel dress that could have caused her her job. Even then, she was not fraught. That had been merely a dress. This was her best friend she was worried about. Her best friend, Beca Mitchell, who was going to get her heart broken.

"Ok, what do we know?" Chloe spoke up from her seat.

Amy had sent a text to Chloe with a pic of the engagement photos and five seconds later, Chloe was shrieking down the phone, demanding answers. The girls had immediately went over to Chloe's apartment.

"Jesse is engaged. To Cassandra Harris," Stacie replied stonily. "It's all over the magazine. You've seen the pages. The announcement will be in the New York Times tomorrow."

Chloe breathed out slowly, her face paler than usual. "And you said Cassie's pregnant?"

"Yep. Pretty certain."

"It's Jesse?"

Stacie lifted her eyebrows.

"He's walking down the aisle with Cassie. Can't see him doing that if it's not his baby," Stacie replied flatly. She went back to biting her nails. "Do we have any idea whether Beca knows? She's been away and offline so -"

Chloe tuned out the rest of what Stacie was saying and started to dial Beca's phone again. She had lost track on how many times they've tried to get through Beca in the last hour. It went straight to voice mail and Chloe nearly flung her phone away in frustration. What the actual fuck was happening? She would have landed by now. Why did she not answer her phone?

"Keep trying," Amy spoke up from the sofa she was lounging on. "We need to get to Beca before all this dingo shit hits the fan."

* * *

She should have come through the gates by now.

The Arrivals board definitely said the flight had landed. Jesse had watched anxiously as the "Landed" sign turned to "Baggage". Beca, being Beca, didn't actually asked him to meet her at the airport but Jesse had taken the rest of the day off to be the first to see her. It was difficult to explain what he was feeling at the moment. He could not wait to see Beca and have her in his arms again. Two weeks was a long time to be away from Beca Mitchell and God, how much he missed her.

Yet Jesse had been dreading this moment.

Like he said, two weeks was a long time. MODE had imploded. The stakeholders were more than a little nervous. Buyers he had in line were circling like sharks and Jesse had to work all hours to contain the damage. He didn't really mind all that work. It kept him distracted from the way his own personal life was fast unravelling, spiralling out of his control.

Two weeks ago he thought he had a grip on things.

Two weeks ago, he was not engaged to be married to Cassandra Harris.

Two weeks ago he was not going to be a dad.

_It was part of the deal, wasn't it?_ \- Aubrey's face swam into view in Jesse's mind. _The baby. You and Cassie getting married. And you'll get half of H&amp;H. That was the deal._ Then George Harris Senior's face beaming, his hand pumping Jesse's. _I'm so happy for you two! __What good news! _ \- the old man had said. The news of the engagement and the wedding was the only saving grace for the old man after all that Meade mess - _Your mother would be so proud, son_. And Cassie's face, beaming and so happy - _Thank you so much, Jess. You know how much this means to us. I can't thank you enough. _

So he had took the little velvet box when Aubrey handed it to him, dutifully offering the engagement ring to Cassie before the photos were taken. Put his arms round his best friend now fiancée when the photographer asked him to and smiled at the camera the flash bulb went.

The speed it was happening was enough to make him hurl.

The church.

The invites.

The lists after list after list of things they needed to do for the wedding.

It was almost surreal. His mind does not seemed to be computing what was happening. Jesse felt like he was having this out of body experience, coolly watching this guy that looked like him going through the motions and he would have find it all amusing if he didn't know for certain, this was really happening. He was going to get married to Cassie

How was he going to explain all this to Beca?

* * *

"Miss Mitchell, it was a pleasure to have you."

Beca looked up at the tall Rastafarian man who was smiling toothily at her. Jerrod had thawed out towards her over the two weeks they had spent together with Mercy Galloway at the retreat. She couldn't blame him really. Arriving late for her flight was not a good first impression but thankfully, once Jerrod saw she was a serious journalist and not some gonzo reporter out to get the dirt on his boss, he had been really nice.

"No. Thank you -" Beca replied. "- for making this possible. I don't think I've even met anyone like Mercy. She is amazing."

"That she is." Jerrod grinned. He dangled the bag containing her devices. "Here's your phone and Ipad. I'm so sorry we had to make you do this."

"No. It was fine. I completely understand," Beca replied, taking the bag from him She thought she couldn't do with being offline for two weeks but it was strangely liberating. And after experiencing the beautiful and tranquil retreat, Beca understood why it was necessary for them to ask her to do this. Jerrod stooped down to give her a big hug before letting her go through the Arrivals.

Beca walked through, dragging her luggage behind her. She dug into the bag, retrieving her phone, wondering how many messages or texts she had. Maybe she should quickly check her emails. With all that was happening just before she left, there would be a lot to catch up with. Beca tried switching her phone and then shook her head, smirking. The battery was flat. She would need to recharge everything before getting online.

Perhaps it was not such a bad thing to be out of loop for a little longer. Her head was buzzing with ideas about the article. She had notes made out in longhand which given her time to think through a lot of things. In fact, maybe she should holed herself out a day or two and work on the article while it was still fresh in her head. But once Beca went through Arrivals and saw Jesse Swanson standing there, all thoughts of the article flew out of her head.

He was here. Waiting for her.

"Hey, what are you doing here, nerd?" Beca said, walking up to Jesse She was expecting some glib answer but Beca found herself being wrapped tightly in Jesse's arms. Beca smiled into his chest. Yeah she missed him too. But when he didn't let go after a few long moments, Beca gently pushed away, trying to break the hug. He didn't budge, hugging her tighter and when Jesse finally let go, Beca was surprised to see the slightly melancholic look on his face.

"Dude, you ok?"

"Yeah. Now that you are here," Jesse answered, his hand stroking her face. "I just really missed you."

"Me too," Beca smiled, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him.

He returned the kiss eagerly and both of them were panting when they surfaced from the kiss. Beca also couldn't wipe that teasing grin off her face. "As much as I want to jump your bones right now, I think we should wait till we're home."

Jesse took hold of her wheeled luggage and linked his fingers through hers.

"Then let's get you home," he said simply.

* * *

"I'm not sure whether you'll be tired or not -" Jesse said as he unlocked his apartment door and opened it wide "-but I thought it would be nice to stay in."

Beca had to smile when she saw what he had ready. The dining table was set up with candles and flowers. So many flowers. And Beca knew there would be wine chilling in the fridge. Jesse was standing beside her, looking a little anxious.

"If you'd rather go out - " he started.

"No. I love this." Beca replied. She spun round, smiling. "So...pizza?"

"I'll order Hawaiian from Gino's as soon as you hit the shower," Jesse said. "It'll be here as soon as you're finished."

"You did good, nerd." Beca looped her arms round Jesse's neck, drawing him down for another kiss. "I don't really want to share you tonight."

"Me too," Jesse murmured huskily against her lips.

It would have escalated if Beca didn't put on the brakes. Jesse was moaning in protest when she pulled away and headed for the shower.

The pizza was perfect, as always. After two weak of simple, healthy food, it tasted incredible digging into that base of rich tomato sauce and melted cheese.. Beca nearly groaned out loud as the flavours burst into her mouth. She had to suppress a giggle when she remembered the first time she had Gino's pizza with Jesse all those months ago. She still owed Jesse for winning the bet. Not that she particularly wanted to remind him of that.

Predictably, Jesse had popped a movie on after dinner but Beca didn't mind it this time. She was lying on the sofa, contented, with her legs on Jesse's lap and him rubbing her feet, Beca never felt so contented. She felt rested and happy just being here with him. Beca lifted her gaze, watching Jesse concentrating on the movie playing on the tv.

He had been quiet during the cab ride. He had stared out the window the most of the journey back to his place, lost in thought, but his hand was in hers, fingers interlocked, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles. Beca thought he looked a little worried. The dark circles under his eyes and the stubble on his face made him looked a little worn. He had been quiet during dinner, just listening to her jabbering about Mercy Galloway and now, even with his favourite film on, Jesse was still unnervingly silent.

Beca caught his hand which was resting on her knee and gave it a squeeze. Jesse looked away from the tv, his eyes meeting hers.

"Something's bothering you," Beca said.

"No. " Jesse replied, dropping his gaze to turn back to the tv. "What made you think so?"

Beca swung her legs off his lap and sidled nearer, pressing herself to his side. He automatically wrapped his arm round his shoulder.

"You've been really quiet," Beca coaxed gently. "They are making you work hard, huh?"

"Yeah," Jesse answered slowly after a beat of silence. He shook his head ruefully, his eyes still on the tv. "Mode is in a mess, the Meades are ruining everything and it's costing H&amp;H a lot of bad press and money." He rubbed his face with his hand before asking. "Have you heard from Daniel yet?"

Beca shrugged.

"No. My phone's still charging and I'm not reading any messages yet," she answered. Beca snuggled into Jesse and sighed contentedly. "Besides I don't want anything to interrupt this. I really missed you and was looking forward to this. Everything else can wait."

She felt Jesse's lips pressed on her temple and he pulled her closer. Something felt wrong. He was never this quiet.

"You're not worried about that drunk calls you left me, right?" Beca hazard a guess. "It's ok. I knew you were drunk and they don't mean anything. You don't have to be worried."

"What drunk messages?"

Beca straightened up and suppressed a chuckle at the guarded look on Jesse's face.

"The ones you left on my phone," she answered, the corners of her mouth lifting into a teasing smirk. "God, you must be SO drunk. You were saying how much you lurrrvee me -" Beca sang out teasingly. "- and babies. You were babbling about babies."

She couldn't help it. Beca laughed out loud at the shocked look on Jesse's face.

"I was saying something about a baby?"

"Yep," Beca replied in between her chuckles. "Hey, don't be worried, ok? I didn't think you were insane. I'm not going to freak out nor am I going to run a mile. I mean, we are not in that place right now. What with all that is happening, we are so nowhere near that. But it is not a totally crazy idea - "

Jesse's hands were closing round hers tightly that Beca had to stop her chuckles and look up at him.

"Beca, are you saying -" he started and stopped. His brown eyes were huge as he stared down at her. "Are you saying you could see us having more than this? Is that what you want? "

Beca suddenly felt a flush coming up her cheeks.

"Sorry. I must have misunderstood you," she said, a little unsure now. "Don't freak out. I'm not saying we should have babies now or whatever. It's just I had time to think about a lot of things when I was away. About you. About us. About what I want -"

"And?"

"I realized how important you are to me. And how much I really love you," Beca said softly. "Maybe some things are just not as important. Like this thing with Decibel and Daniel. You don't like this whole thing with Daniel and you know what? I don't like it either. So I'm going to call Daniel tomorrow and tell him to stuff it. I can't stand him having that hold on me -"

"But what about the magazine? " Jesse said urgently. "I thought it was important to you. And all those people who are working there."

"It is. They are," Beca answered. "I can sell the Mercy scoop any other rags easily and maybe that can open up more doors for me. I also realised it's not up to me to save the world. We'll work something out. I just didn't want you to be unhappy -"

The next moment, Jesse was pressing her backwards onto the arm of the sofa, his mouth over hers. Her arms went round his neck, fingers already entwined in his hair. Beca kissed him back, her eyes shut tight. God, she missed this most of all. Jesse broke the kiss first, raising his face away from hers. His fingers lightly traced her cheekbone and Beca opened her eyes to find him staring intently at her.

"Why didn't I meet you any sooner, Beca? Why?" he murmured.

Beca frowned. "What's the matter?"

"I never thought I met someone like you," Jesse sighed. "If I had known -"

She was about to press him for more but his mouth was already roving down her jaw to her neck, his hands running down her sides, reaching for the hem of the tshirt she was wearing. Jesse was murmuring how much he love her over and over into her skin, in between his kisses and his bites and Beca sighed, pushing herself up closer to him.

Two weeks was a long time. Everything else can wait.

She was here in his arms and that was all she needed. His touch. His skin against her. His mouth leaving trails all over her neck and chest that was making her gasp. Jesse stood up, pulling her to her feet and once she was standing, he scooped her up in his arms and walked to the bedroom. He dropped her gently on his bed and she was fumbling with his jeans and helping him get rid of them.

Beca leaned back as he crawled over her.

He was gazing at her again, his hands on the either side of her head, twisting into her hair. Beca raised her hand to his face, tracing his lips gently. What she wouldn't do for this man? Who would thought she would be here with this idiot who spilled coffee all over her? How strange was it that she was still herem despite all the stupid complications, all the obstacles and confusion that came their way. She must be crazy in love with him.

Beca expected their first time tonight to be frenzied. They had been apart for two weeks. They were hungry for each other. She expected it to be rough and fast and furious. She expected his hands and his mouth to be everywhere, his hardness entering and filling her to the brim, his thrusts quick and eager.

But Jesse had other plans.

Her body was arching off the bed as Beca silently scream as that orgasm ripping through her. One hand was fisting the bedsheet and the other was raked into Jesse's scalp. Her body racked and raved, shuddering hard as wave after delicious wave slammed through her. He was slowly, lazily lapping her up, letting her come down from the high. And when her shaking subsided, his mouth latched over her sex, slowly working her up again.

"Jess -" she gasped. Beca broke off when she felt his tongue. She groaned out, moving her hips and then gulped a deep breath. "Baby, it's.. it's your...t-turn."

"No." Jesse mumbled, his hands digging into her hips to keep her still. "Not yet."

She climaxed twice more. Beca felt her body, her bones, her very flesh melting into jelly. She could hardly make a sound. She felt him kissing her up her thighs, Jesse pressing a sweet kiss into her hipbone and her ribcage and the top of her right breast as he crawled upwards. Beca gave him a sleepy, contented smile when she found him staring down at her yet again.

"Dude, why are you looking at me like that?" she slurred, shutting her eyes, still weak and satiated from what he had done to her.

"Nothing." was his answer. "I just want to look at you."

" You're not going anywhere, are you?," Beca hummed. "You are looking at me like you're going away somewhere."

She felt too lazy to press anymore than that. She wasn't too lazy to do one other thing though. Beca ran her hand down and firmly circled her hand round him, lightly running her palm up and down. He was so hard and his skin so velvet soft. Beca smirked lazily when she heard him groaning. It was his turn. And Beca poured all her love out. Her hands gentle, her mouth, her teeth sharp and teasing. He laid back, docile and gasping, letting her do whatever she wanted to him. Beca straddled his waist, leaning down, her hair falling all around like a curtain.

"I love you," Jesse murmured, his eyes dark like obsidian as he gazed up at her. His hands were anchored on her waist.

"I love you too," Beca answered, raising herself up against him and then finally,_ finally, _coming down. Her hands clenched hard into his chest. Inch by slow inch, she felt him filling her and swelling into her. It felt so good. He felt so good inside her that Beca had to bite down on her lip to stifle that scream.

She had to go slow; just to prolong this beautiful connection between them. It felt more emotional this time round. Beca couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was the way he was holding her close. Maybe it was the way his brown eyes gazing into her with so much love and tenderness. Maybe it was how he flipped her over so he was on top, peppering her face with kisses as he moved excruciatingly slow and deep within her.

She was coming hard now, her body trashing in his hold and Jesse was moving faster, mumbling into her hair. He couldn't slow down now. Not when he was this close. Her arms were around him, her legs wrapped around him. Jesse came with a gasp, pouring himself out into her. And Beca held him tight as he trembled and whispered how much he felt for her over and over, his voice thick with tears.

* * *

It was 4.30 a.m.

Beca opened one eye and saw the glowing digits on the clock on side table. She silently cursed jet lag for waking her up so early. Ideally, she would like to sleep a few more hours but Beca was wide awake now. She would be awake for another hour before drifting off again and it would be hella hard to wake up for work.

With that thought, Beca nearly groaned out loud.

As much as she loved being tangled up with Jesse, warm and naked in his bed, she would have to go to work tomorrow. Decibel and whatever shit that the Meades had landed themselves up would be at her door tomorrow and Beca would bet anything Daniel would be waiting for her when she appeared at H&amp;H later on that morning. She still have to work on Mercy's article too and figure out what she was going to do about Decibel and lay it out to that fuckface, Daniel Meade without him going berserk on her.

Beca sighed, feeling her stress level going up.

Actually since she was up, she might as well work on a rough outline and bang out a rough draft.

Beca carefully extracted herself out of Jesse's arm and smiled fondly when that nerd mumbled something incoherent and tried to stop her from leaving. She waited a few more seconds letting Jesse settled back to sleep before getting up. She slowly padded out of the bedroom in her bare feet, shrugging on Jesse's tshirt and went to the living room. Jesse was charging her phone last night now when she was in the shower and the light from the charger was like a beacon in the dark. The battery must be full by now.

Beca switched on her phone, humming a little to herself as she made her way to the kitchen to get a drink. She was sipping some water when text after text popped up on her Home screen. Beca quickly scrolled through the texts from Amy, Chloe, Stacie and CR. Even Lily sent her a few, which read really weird but all of them said the same thing – where was she? Call when she get this message.

Beca hesitated.

Why were the girls so worried? It was not like she never been away. It was still early and Chloe would be asleep. She can call later on and tell Chloe she was fine. Beca settled herself on the sofa, bringing her laptop close. That feeling was uneasiness was growing in the pit of her belly and she mused over the flurry of texts. Maybe something was wrong? Maybe someone's hurt or maybe her dad or mom were trying to get in touch?

Beca checked her messages again.

No. None from her parents so it couldn't be about them.

Beca tried not to think about it, distracting herself with reading through her longhand notes. It lasted all of fifteen minutes. Ok, maybe she'll just leave Chloe a text message to say she's fine and back online. Chloe will pick that up once she's awake and give her ring. Beca hardly finished sending the text when her phone vibrated in her hand and Chloe's number flashed up.

"Beca, where are you?" Chloe's voice sounded worried.

"Hey. Hi. I'm back. You're up really early," Beca whispered into her phone. She stretched her arms and a smile broke out on Beca's face. "-Or have you not gone to bed yet? Making the most of me being away, huh? I hope Snowball is not traumatised."

"We – the girls and I didn't get much sleep," Chloe replied, which puzzled Beca a little. She heard voices at the background and Chloe saying it was Beca on the line. The next voice she heard was Stacie's.

"Beca, please tell us where you are," the brunette was saying.

"I'm at Jesse's," Beca replied automatically. "What's going on? Is everyone ok?"

"You're with Jesse?"

"Yeah."

"Since yesterday?"

"Yeah. The whole of last night."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Say what?" Beca said, more puzzled than ever. "Dude, we were apart for two weeks and making up for lost time. There wasn't much talking, if you know what I mean."

Beca's chuckle was interrupted by Stacie whispering to the others. Beca could make out her saying something along the lines _"He didn't say anything._" and subdued voices talking back. She couldn't help but started to freak out now.

"Guys, what's happening?"

Stacie was still whispering to the others and when she came back to the phone, Stacie's voice sounded grim. "Beca, get dressed. Gimme Jesse's address. We'll be there as soon as possible."

"What the hell?" Beca answered. "You're going to come over now? What's going on?"

"I don't think I could tell you over the phone like this," Stacie was saying now. "Is Jesse asleep? Don't wake him up. Just get dressed and leave."

"Dude, you are really freaking me out," Beca said. "Tell me what's happening."

"I can't," Stacie said, her voice at breaking point. "Shit, Beca! I can't break it to you like this. Just trust us, ok?"

"Stacie Elizabeth Conrad -" Beca voice grew a little harder. "Just fucking tell me already."

* * *

He was having the most amazing dream when something tugged at his consciousness and Jesse slowly woke up. A weak light was filtering into the bedroom and Jesse shut his eyes, rolling over, his hand searching for Beca's warm body. Her side of the bed was empty. Jesse raised his head from his pillow and peered at the clock on the bedside table.

6.00 a.m.

Still too early.

He sat up in bed and shook his head, smiling. Beca was not a morning person. He couldn't remember the last time she woke before eight. She would be curled in sleep till the last possible second with the duvet wrapped round her like puffy little cloud. It must be bad jetlag to have Beca Mitchell waking up at this hour. He wondered where she was. He didn't hear any sound coming from the bathroom nor did he see any lights outside. Jesse got up, slipped into his boxers and made his way out of the bedroom.

"Bec?" he called out hoarsely, his voice still thick with sleep. He found her, sitting on the sofa in the dark. Jesse moved towards her, his bare feet shuffling against the cool floor. "Hey baby, what are you doing sitting out here? Come back to bed."

She had glanced up at him from the papers she was reading from and Jesse momentarily focused in the broadsheet in her hands

"The paper's here?" Jesse asked. "Wow. No one stole my copy this time?"

"No." Beca finally answered. She folded the newspaper into half and stiffly stood up. "I ran downstairs to get it from the doorman."

"Cool. You know you don't have to do that, babe," Jesse mumbled, leaning down to kiss her on her head. She stepped back which made Jesse frowned in confusion. He was stupidly blinking at her and then it dawned on him that Beca Mitchell was fully clothed in her jeans and shirt at six a.m in the morning. "You're dressed? Are you going to work already? "

"When are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Jesse yawned, his sleep-addled brain trying to play catch up.

"This!"

The newspapers were slapped straight into him and Jesse caught them. All hint of sleep evaporated as soon as he saw what was in his hands. The New York Times. His copy of The New York Times with the pages opened. His photo with Cassie in black and white, as plain as day, with the announcement that Mr. Jesse Michael Swanson is engaged to be married his childhood sweetheart and best friend, Miss Cassandra Anne Harris, neatly lettered next to it.

Beca was storming past him and Jesse dropped the newspapers to catch hold of her arm. "Beca, it's not how It looks."

"It's never how it looks with you, Jesse Swanson!" Beca yelled. "When you made me wait while you were with Cassie during New Year's Eve. When you had Amanda stark naked on your bed. It's never how it looks."

"Bec, let me explain."

"How the fuck are you going to explain this?" Beca burst out. "You are engaged to Cassie? When did this happen? Last week? You waited until I'm out of town to propose to her?"

"No, Beca. That's not how it happened."

"Are you or are you not engaged to Cassie?" Beca yelled, shoving against his chest. "Fucking tell me this!"

Jesse opened his mouth yet no sound came out. She was spitting furious, hurt all over her face. He couldn't lie to her. It was there in black and white.

"Yes," Jesse confessed. He held on to her arm as Beca struggled against his hold. "It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't change how I feel towards you. What I said yesterday I meant every word."

"Let me go!" Beca screeched. "What are you saying? You proposed to her yet you still love me? What the stupid fuck is this?"

"Beca - " Jesse started. He didn't want to do It. He was going to hurt her so bad telling her the real reason and the words felt like lead in his mouth. "I have to marry Cassie. She's pregnant with my baby."

It was scary how the fight suddenly went out of her.

As soon as those words were out of his mouth, Jesse saw how Beca recoiled back like he physically assaulted her. She would have stumbled and fell backwards if he had not been holding her. Her face was deathly pale, drained out of any colour and Jesse saw that glazed look in her eyes. The blue eyes he was lost in when he made love to her yesterday, were now filled with tears and so much shock and sadness. He found her trembling. She was shaking and trembling and Jesse didn't know whether to hold her closer or to let her go.

"It's true, then."

Her words were a tired whisper but Jesse could feel all the hurt, all the pain, all the betrayal behind them. Beca sucked in a breath, so drawn and tight it sounded like she was trying to breathe through a bullet in her lung.

"They told me Cassie's pregnant and the baby was yours" she mumbled, eyes downcast.

"You knew?"

"The girls. They just told me," she continued. "But I didn't want to believe them. I didn't want -"

Beca raised her tear-stained face to look at him in the eye. Jesse's mouth was grim and and then he slowly nodded the answer. There was a frozen moment before Beca stepped back and this time, Jesse let her go. She was trying not to cry, her chest heaving with the effort, but It was too much. Jesse saw her broke down, her shoulders hunched and shaking. She tried to stop herself from crying and it was the worst thing Jesse had to witness for a long time.

"You should've said," Beca mumbled brokenly. "You should've said you didn't want all this...anymore."

"Beca, you don't understand," Jesse answered wretchedly. "It didn't mean anything -"

"Having a baby didn't mean anything to you?" Beca replied, dashing her hand across her wet face. "It doesn't matter you made Cassie pregnant? You are no better than Daniel -"

"Please believe me," Jesse pleaded. "I love you. There's nothing between me and Cassie. It's all part of the deal -"

"Nothing?" Her voice was rising, wobbly with her tears and anger. "All this while, allthis time you kept saying to me there's nothing between you and Cassie and now you're having a baby? Fuck you and your lies! Jesus! I'm such a fucking idiot! "

"Beca, it's not like that," Jesse yelled back, trying to get a word in edgwise. Beca was already picking up her things and he knew once Beca leave, he would never get another chance to tell her ever. "Beca, please listen to me. Cassie desperately wanted a baby -"

"And of course, you helped her! What a wonderful fucking friend you are," Beca spun around and spat back at him. Did you practice, like all the time? It must be SO hard. How long have you been fucking us both? "

"I never sleep with Cassie! How many time do I need to tell you?" Jesse said. "For fuck sake, please listen, Beca. It's only you. There could never be anyone else but you. Cassie doesn't even swing that way! She's been with Aubrey for years!"

That seemed to shut Beca up and Jesse desperately grabbed that chance to explain.

"Cassie really wanted a baby. For the longest time, she and Aubrey wanted one. They could have gone with an anonymous donor but Cassie trusted me. They asked me months ago. Months and months ago, before I met you. We made a deal and I said yes. It was the stupidest yes I could've ever said!"

Beca was still speechless.

"Please believe me. At first, I did it to help Cassie. But now I'm doing this for us," Jesse pleaded. "Everything was all done at the hospital. They tried two cycles which didn't take. Cassie took it really hard. I wasn't expecting them to try another time. They didn't tell me she was trying again. I'm so sorry. I should have told her about us. It would have changed things. But now, it's.. Fuck! I'm so sorry. I really-"

Jesse clenched his hands into fists. God, he had himself to blame for all this mess. He felt like hitting something. The nearest wall. The dining table. Anything. Anything to let him vent out all his regret and frustration. Beca was standing silent not that many feet away from him. She still had that pained and haunted look on her tear-stained face, looking more vulnerable and fragile than he ever remembered. He desperately wanted to hold her.

"Aubrey knew about us -" he heard Beca whispering. "She tried to warn me. She told me to back off."

"It's all my fault. I'm so sorry," Jesse said. "I should've told Cassie I wanted out. That things change and I'm madly in love with you-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Beca said, still speaking in that same low, listless tone. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I tried. God, I've tried," Jesse breathed out. "It was never the right time. I'm sorry. That was a stupid excuse. Beca -"

"What will this mean then?"

"Nothing needs to change," Jesse answered. "Cassie was happy for me to play a minimal part in the baby's life but I was hoping to be more than that. It will still be my child but if you don't want me - "

"What do you mean by that?" Beca replied, her eyes snapping up to meet his. "You think I would tell you not to have anything to do with your child?"

"Bec, I'll do anything you want. You are the most important thing to me. I'll do anything -" Jesse stopped short. "Nothing need to change, Beca. We can still have us and - "

"You're still going to marry Cassie?"

The way he slowly exhaled his breath gave her his answer.

"Yes. I have to," he confessed. "It has to do with H&amp;H. Uncle George want it to stay in the family. Willie was already scheming to be the second Mrs. George Harris Senior. It was be a disaster if Willie ever got pregnant. That's why we had to do this. That's why everything is moving so quickly."

Jesse closed the distance between them, lightly resting his hand on her arm. When she didn't snatch her arm back, Jesse gently pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her.

"It's just going to be for show, Beca. Uncle George.. he's really conservative. He doesn't know about Cassie and we don't think he would take it too well. Cassie and I just need to play Happy Families for a while," he murmured soothingly. "Nothing needs to change. We can still be together like we are doing now. You know what? Let's get a place, just us and Snowball. I would really love that. We can start looking this weekend."

"We're moving in?" Beca murmured, sounding a little lost.

"I'll have to pretend to move in with Cassie after the wedding. Just for a few months," Jesse said. "But that doesn't mean we can't get a place. And Cassie will need me to turn up to whatever social events and work stuff she needs me for, just like I do right now. Then in a year, maybe two, Cassie and I will go for a quickie divorce -"

"No."

"It's going to fine, baby. Trust me," Jesse whispered into her hair. "Things will be the same as before. We -"

"No, you don't understand," Beca replied, breaking from his hold and stepping back out of his reach. "I don't think things can ever be the same. I don't want it to be the same."

"Beca -"

"I just - " Beca broke off, slowly realising what she knew to be true. "I just can't do this any more."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chaoter 31**

_Previously on You really got a hold on me_

_"No." Beca replied._

_"It's going to be fine, baby," Jesse whispered. "Things will be the same as before -"_

_"No, you don't understand," she said, breaking from his hold and stepping out of his reach. "I don't think things can ever be the same. I don't want to be the same."_

_"Beca-"_

_"I just -" Beca broke off, slowly realising what she knew to be true. "I just can't do this anymore."_

* * *

**A month after**

"How is she?"

Chloe frowned at the question Stacie was asking. She swapped her phone to the other ear as she walked away from the kitchen towards Beca's bedroom. "Hard to say. She's not up yet," Chloe answered. "She came home and went straight to her room."

"She's still not talking?"

"No," Chloe replied worriedly. "Nothing. Stacie, I'm scared. It's been a month and she's not said anything. It was not even like this with Daniel and the miscarriage."

"I'm scared too."

Being close as they were, the girls had all been through Beca's previous break-ups. Usually it will start with an alcoholic binge, followed by tears and anger, before Beca eventually reached some sort of closure which would end the funk.

But this one was different.

This silent, closed up Beca was worrying. She was not talking. The eerie silence started when Stacie had to tell Beca what was up over the phone that early morning. Stacie tried to be factual about it - her concern was to get Beca out of there. After a stony pause, Beca asked a few questions before putting down the phone. They got a text from Beca with Jesse's address soon after and Stacie and Chloe had taken a cab there straightaway.

They were expecting a full fledged fight on his doorstep and both of them were raring to lay it into that fucker but it was only Beca waiting on the pavement, pale and stiff lipped, with her sunglasses on and her bags around her. She had shook her head, silent to the questions coming her way and they took her home. Nothing much was said. Beca did not want to talk and the girls knew her well enough not to press her when she was not ready. But it had been weeks. Weeks of this stony, silent Beca going to work and coming back, with that haunted look on her face.

"You've been keeping an eye on her at work, right?" Chloe said worriedly.

"Yes," Stacie sighed. "She's out most days and kept to her office when she's here. I think Jesse tried coming down to talk to her but she must have said something because that stopped."

"I knew what Beca might have said," Chloe replied. "I was here when he came over wanting to talk. Beca threatened to spill all to the press if he didn't leave her alone. I also gave him a piece of my mind and slammed the door in his face."

"I wonder what Beca knows," Stacie mused a little thoughtfully. "There's been rumours..."

"Whatever it is, it must have scared Jesse off. He didn't come back," Chloe replied. "She didn't say what it was though." She stopped outside Beca'a door. "I'm going to wake Beca up now or she'll be late for work. Just do an extra look out for her today, ok?"

Stacie hummed in agreement and ended the call. Chloe slid her phone into her pocket, sighing a little with worry. She could hear Snowball mewing inside Beca's room and scratching the door to get out. She was about to knock on the door when it was opened from inside. Beca stood at the doorway, clutching her cat close to her chest. Her hair was in a mess and she wasn't in her pyjamas. One look inside her bedroom, at the stacks of notes and the laptop on her bed and Chloe knew Beca had been working late into the night until she fell asleep on top of her work. She had been doing a lot of that lately.

"Hey, I was about let Snowball out," Chloe called out, fixing a cheerful grin on her face. "You're running late. Let me feed Snowball if you wanna get ready."

Beca's initial answer was a grunt before a mumbled "- can do that -" as she shuffled into the kitchen, carrying her cat. Chloe followed her into the kitchen. Beca let Snowball down and reached towards the cupboard to take down a can of cat food.

"Do you want breakfast? I made pancakes." Chloe said brightly. "- or I can make some scrambled eggs?" When that only get her a shake of the head, Chloe changed her tactics. "So the girls thought we should go out tonight. Maybe some karaoke? You game? It'll be fun."

"Work" was Beca's monosyllabic answer. She was standing at the counter, slowly opening the tin with a can opener. Her shoulder were slumped, her tangled hair hanging round her pale face like a curtain.

"Umm...not sure whether you remember. I'm going to Atlanta for a dance recital this weekend -" Chloe spoke up slowly, still keeping her tone light. "- Amy will be staying over. She said her apartment's getting fumigated or something. I didn't dare ask what for. I mean it's Amy."

The sound of the can opener being slammed on the counter was so loud Chloe nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Chlo, stop it!"

"Stop what?"

"Just stop it already. All of you," Beca snapped, wheeling round. "Don't think I don't know what you guys are trying to do. I don't need you guys hovering over me. I certainly don't need Amy babysitting me this weekend. I'm fine."

"But Bec, you're not fine - " Chloe protested. "I know you're hurting, babe. We want to help but you've been pushing everyone away. The girls are all worried -"

"They shouldn't be -"

"Well, they are," Chloe insisted. "You are not okay. Bec, please talk to us. Please talk to me."

Chloe stood by the kitchen door with a pleading look on her face. For a moment, she thought she got through. Beca was looking straight at her with an expression on her face like she was about to break. But the look was gone in a flash and Beca then slowly turned away picking up the can opener from the counter.

"There's nothing to talk about," came the hoarse reply.

Chloe stared at her best friend, hunched over the can. Beca finished opening the tin, dumped the contents into Snowball's bowl and watched her cat eating his food.

"Ok, sorry. You're not ready," Chloe mumbled, slightly hurt. "I'll leave you alone."

She backed out of the kitchen, leaving Beca standing over her cat. She didn't see the way Beca was clutching the edge of the counter to steady herself, knuckles white with effort. She didn't see Beca's white pinched face, covered by her curtain of messy hair. And Chloe definitely didn't see the hard way Beca was biting down on her lower lip to stop herself from crying.

* * *

Stacie put down the phone to Chloe with a sigh.

She turned back to her screen, tapping through her emails and all the work she had to complete for the day. Deadlines had been moved around so many times in the last few weeks it was hard to keep track. Schedules and shoots booked months before had to be re-arranged all because of the upcoming wedding of the year. That infernal, unholy, totally loathsome wedding between Cassandra Harris and Jesse Swanson.

That bit of news had been picked up almost immediately by the media and Stacie couldn't even turn around without seeing snippets of the sensational news all over. Almost as quickly, the rumour mill went into overdrive. It wouldn't be long before RUNWAY will release the news about Cassie's pregnancy. There will be congratulatory articles, sound bites, maybe a baby issue or two from RUNWAY. A wedding and baby. What else could be more positive, more life affirming against the Meades' sleazy scandal?

Stacie tossed her pencil down in frustration. She lifted her head to stare at the mannequin dominating her Closet at the moment. The Vivienne Westwood gown for the wedding was extraordinarily beautiful. A confection of satin with lace overlay and a full skirt. Layers of tulle. Paired with a delicate veil and long gloves, Cassandra Harris will look stunning in it. Stacie could almost picture the tall brunette gliding down the aisle of St Patrick's Cathedral, happy and smiling, extravagant blossoms of flowers in the background, petals at her feet, walking towards the man waiting for her at the top of the aisle. The nauseating image almost made Stacie want to attack that gown with a pair of her sharpest scissors.

She heard the buzz on her door and Stacie quickly arranged the expression on her face to something neutral. The appointment had popped up on her email reminder fifteen minutes earlier when she was talking to Chloe and Stacie was not looking forward to this. She stood up, came out from behind her work desk and went to the door to let her appointment in.

Jesse Swanson was standing on the other side.

"You're late," Stacie said in a clipped tone, turning away and heading towards the racks on the right.

"Sorry. I was in a morning meeting and it overran," Jesse apologised. He came in and stood in the middle, hands shoved into his pockets. "I was just told about this fitting late yesterday."

Stacie came back, carrying a suit on a hanger. She didn't look remotely interested at his excuses and nearly threw the suit at him.

"Let's get this done and over with," she said curtly, unzipping the suit bag and taking out the tuxedo. "I'm sure you are really busy. So am I. Go and get changed. You can use those screens back there."

Jesse complied. Stacie was waiting, impatiently tapping her foot and when he came back, she gave a quick tip of her head, silently telling him to stand on the wooden platform, facing the three-way mirror. Jesse stared at his reflection, fidgeting a little. He buttoned up the tuxedo and tugged at the sleeves to straighten them out. Stacie openly frowned at him and Jesse stopped, letting his arms fell on his sides.

"Nice suit," he said, trying to break the ice and failing miserably.

The brunette snorted. She circled round, casting a critical eye over the outfit. Stacie knew she could do this. She could be professional and not garrotte this stupid fuckboy with her measuring tape. She was already picking up a few things. The trousers needed hemming but the jacket and waist seemed to be a little loose and maybe needed taking in. She had Jesse's measurements on file way before and had ordered the Armani suit accordingly. It looked like fuckboy here lost some weight.

Stacie stood behind Jesse and on the pretence she was checking the hang of jacket from the back, she checked out Jesse instead. Still well shaven and neatly groomed; but look closer, anyone would see that grey tinge to his complexion. The tiredness. The slight downturn on his mouth. Those dark circles under his eyes like he had not slept very well.

Good.

Stacie got to work and was busy hemming the trousers when Jesse spoke up again.

"How's Beca?"

She didn't really need to use that pin but she jabbed it into his leg anyway. Stacie noted with relish the way Jesse flinched in pain. Maybe she should have jabbed that pin deeper because that didn't deter the fuckboy from asking again.

"Stacie, please. I know you are probably hating me right now," Jesse said. "I hate myself too. I just got to know whether she's ok."

Stacie got up to her feet.

"She's fine," Stacie spat out, grudgingly. "Much better after getting rid of you."

Jesse swallowed hard, keeping his eyes on the mirror.

"I've tried to talk to her but I don't think she wants to see me."

"Wow. No shit Sherlock," Stacie answered. "I wonder why."

"Did she get my messages?"

"I'm sure she did."

"Please. Can you tell Beca how sorry I am?"

"She knows."

"I really need to talk to her. Any chance she will speak to me?" Jesse asked hopefully. "I just want -"

"Just what do you want, Jesse Swanson?" Stacie burst out, clearly impatient now. She tossed down the tape measure she was holding and fixed her steely gaze on the man in front of her. "What else do you want from her? Isn't it already enough you had to play her and break her heart like that?"

Jesse drew a sharp breath. He deserved all this. He deserved Stacie berating him like this.

"I-," he started before closing his eyes to think through what he had to say. He had no other choice. Beca would not talk to him and Jesse was hoping Stacie could help. "I realise that I hurt her very badly. I know I couldn't even make up for all the stupid things I did. She deserved so much better-"

"Yes she does," Stacie replied. "She deserves better than a half assed relationship with you. She deserves to be with someone who treat her right, proud to be hers, someone who doesn't have to hide her like a dirty secret."

"I know -"

"I'm not finished!" Stacie bellowed at Jesse interrupting her. "All of us had our doubts about you, Jesse Swanson but Beca was happy. For some crazy reason, she was happy with you. It was not ideal but we thought it's okay as long as she's happy. Why do you have to hurt her like that?"

"I know it all looks bad," Jesse tried to explain. "- but like I said to Beca, nothing was going to change. I still love her. We can still be together."

"What do you mean nothing is going to change?" Stacie bellowed. She jerked Jesse round towards the mannequin in middle of the room. "See that? You are marrying a woman who will be in that wedding gown! That woman is carrying your baby. Don't fucking tell me nothing is going to change!"

Jesse then realised something.

"She didn't tell you?"

Stacie had to swallow back her urge to scream.

"She didn't tell us anything," she said. "Beca went quiet after that day. You fucked her up so bad she didn't even trust us enough talk about this. She is in so much pain. Worse we've seen. Even the break-up with Daniel wasn't this bad. There. Are you happy now?"

Jesse shut his eyes. He turned away momentarily, the enormity of the pain he had caused bearing down on him. "Nothing was going to change," he whispered. "This wedding, the baby. It's just what I had to do. It does not mean I don't love her. Cassie and I - we've agreed to have baby, get married for a couple of years and then do a quick divorce -"

Stacie fell back, her mouth hanging open. Something very similar to disgust washed down her face as she

"You're asking her to be your side ho while you're married to Cassie?" Stacie whispered out, mortified. "Is that what you are asking her to do? She has to grin and bear it when you swan around town, arm in arm with Cassie, playing dutiful husband and partner?"

"It's all going to be for show," Jesse tried to explain. "It's not for real."

"I don't care if it's for real or not. She still has to see all that and suffer through it," Stacie batted back. "How about she sees you and Cassie with the baby? You know she lost one herself. Didn't you even think how much that would hurt her? And for how. long? Two years? Is that you've promised? I can tell you now your promise means shit. What will happen if you did get divorce and your relationship with Beca came out? The rags will have a field day! She will be the home wrecker. You think Cassie's enemies won't make a big deal out of this?

"It's part of the plan -"

"Well, your plan sucks." Stacie said. "Whatever weird thing you and Cassie cooked sucks."

"It's more than that," Jesse said.

"Oh, I've heard," Stacie retort back. "Being husband to Cassie and dad to a future Harris baby will mean you get half of everything. I've heard all the gossip. You couldn't say no to the money, could you? "

Jesse sighed out in frustration.

"I'm sorry. I''m so sorry I hurt her. That is on me," Jesse said in defeat. "Please, can you tell her I really need to talk to her?"

* * *

I can do this - Beca told herself. If I can do this, I will be ok.

She stood for a long while outside the H&amp;H building, willing herself to step through the entrance and go to her office. Every day since the explosive argument with Jesse, she had to steel herself to go to work. Some days it was fine. She would wake up, get dressed and go to work. But some days it was so hard. So bloody hard to will herself to appear like nothing was wrong. Today was one of those days. She had woke up exhausted and realised she fell asleep on top of her work again. It also didn't help with that argument she and with Chloe. Beca knew Chloe meant well. Beca knew all her friends were concerned. But she was not ready yet. The whole thing - it still hurt too much.

And that deal with Meade Publications fell apart.

On her return, she had heard the news. Bradley Meade was in jail for the murder of Fey Sommers. Claire Meade took over the family business. Meade Publications made a move to buy over MODE. H&amp;H was not about to sell it cheap. There were negotiations and counter offers before the deed was done. It was a huge mess and the deal with Decibe was probably lost in all that mess. Alexis Meade and Wilhemina Slater were now firmly at the helm at MODE and Daniel was demoted, to run a lesser title called Player.

Beca was not surprised it turned out that way.

She was not also surprised that Daniel wasn't even brave enough to tell it to her face. In a way, she was relieved. She had her own set of problems. Like the other titles that H&amp;H couldn't flog, Decibel was going to be scrapped and the whole crew was going to be made redundant. She was already looking for another job when news of the new buyer came through. It was a lifeline but the sale came through with the oddest conditions. One of them was Beca will be charge of the magazine, getting it through the complicated transition phase. Decibel was to move out of H&amp;H and she was to stay or the deal will fall through. It was so very similar to Daniel's conditions and Beca thought somehow Daniel had managed to pull it out of the bag.

Perhaps he had?

He was rich enough, Beca knew that. But it would take serious belief in Beca's ability to turn the magazine around and a large withdrawal out of his own inheritance to buy Decibel out. And if he did, why didn't Daniel say anything?

Well, all this work kept her busy, at least.

Beca didn't have time to speculate on who the new owner was. She had to make sure everything fall into place. Running the magazine and change over to new management was not easy and Beca began to appreciate the hard choices Noah had to make as Editor-in-chief. Beca also realised she was perhaps working herself to the bone to forget. It was still too painful. Even now thinking about it, Beca can feel the tightness in her chest and the sting of tears at the corners of her eyes.

She took a sip of the hot coffee she had in her hand, her feet still rooted outside the building. No, she could do this. She could go to work and do her job and get out. She had been lucky so far. After a couple of screaming matches and her obstinate refusal to talk to him, Jesse finally got the message and left her alone. It was either that or the fucker was too busy planning his wedding.

Her phone was pinging through with a message from Tina as Beca stepped through the double doors into the warm lobby. She was busy reading the message when she heard Aubrey's voice.

"Beca?"

Beca momentarily shut her eyes, swearing inside. Aubrey Posen was probably not one of her favourite people to run into right now. However, Beca fixed a grim smile and turned towards Aubrey.

"Hey, Bree," Beca replied uneasily.

The blonde was dressed in neat Chanel as usual and not one hair out of place. She was a few feet away, her familiar iPad in hand. Aubrey's eyes darted behind Beca, towards the elevators, then she took the few steps towards her easily towering over the brunette in her Jimmy Choos.

"Hey, how you've been?" Aubrey asked.

It was Aubrey's tone that surprised her. It was soft, almost sincere. Not like the last time Aubrey had spoken to her.

"Fine. How are you?" Beca answered automatically. She slowly took off her sunglasses, scrutinising Aubrey's immaculately made up face. When she looked closer, Beca noticed the strain on Aubrey's face and the slight sadness in her eyes. Aubrey dipped her head down temporarily and then lifted it up to meet Beca's eyes.

"I'm good," she said, sounding a little hollow. "Very busy."

"Of course -"

"- With the wedding. Lots to do, y'know. It's in a month -"

"Yes, I've heard."

Aubrey stuttered to a stop. She looked a little uncomfortable, perhaps realising it was not the best topic to speak to Beca about. She gulped a little before speaking up again.

"Look, Beca, I tried to warn you -"

"I know," Beca interrupted. "No need to explain anything. I know about you and Cassie."

Aubrey nodded, comprehending. "Jesse told you?"

"Yes, he did. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Beca answered. "I understand George Harris Snr's views on this. And we don't want to upset the inheritance, do we?"

She sounded more sarcastic than she meant and Aubrey shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

"I'm sorry," Aubrey replied. "I wish you got out sooner -"

"But I didn't.," Beca shrugged. "But it's all good for you, right? You've got a baby and will play happy families -"

"Don't say that," Aubrey answered, looking horrified. "This thing...this whole stupid wedding is freaking hard for me too -"

"Hard?" All this is hard for you?" Beca laughed hollowly. "At least you knew from the beginning. This whole fucking circus wasn't a total surprise to you. I had to find out about the engagement from the papers."

"I told you Jesse -"

"You to,d me nothing," Beca replied. "Nor Jesse. No one was fucking upfront with me and told me the truth. You are all a bunch of lying, selfish fuckers who trample on anyone to get what you want. You don't really care who got hurt."

She wasn't shouting. But Beca's tone was vehement enough and she expected Aubrey to pay attention to her. But the blonde was nervously looking behind her.

"You're late," Aubrey suddenly said. "This is a very late start for you, Beca. This not becoming. You should go now."

Beca stopped short, a little surprised at Aubrey's change of topic. She clocked the desperate plea on Aubrey's face, mere seconds before she heard the voice calling her name.

"Beca?"

She hated everyone calling her name this morning. There was no escaping it. It was Cassandra Harris, soon to be Cassandra Swanson calling out to her. In slow motion, Beca turned around. Cassie was behind her, standing chic and tall in clinging Missoni, the outfit displaying the very slight bump she wanted the whole world to see. And at her elbow, looking the ever-loving fiancé, was her soon-to-be husband, Jesse Swanson.

* * *

AN :_ Gosh! Has it been two years since I started this fic? So very sorry everyone it's taken so long. Thank you if you are still reading and a special shout out to Fromtheheartofafan for reminding me. You guys are ace. And even though there will not be JECA in PP3 (boooooooo I can't believe it!), we will always have awesome Jeca memories here. Big hugs to all. I seriously think they just don't want to pay Skyalr, Ben and Adam Devine's fees. ;)_


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